


talk about being at the wrong place [at the wrong time]

by aeriamamaduck



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Anxiety, Arguing, Body Swap, Collateral Damage, Communication, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Food, Future Fic, Grievous Misuse of Dessert Foods, Hand Jobs, Hotel Sex, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Inspired by Freaky Friday, Jealousy, Kissing, Long-Distance Relationship, Love, M/M, Making Up, Marriage, Mirror Sex, Misunderstandings, Non-Penetrative Sex, Oral Sex, POV Alternating, POV Multiple, Post-Canon, Relationship Advice, Relationship Issues, Self-Voyeurism, Sexual Content, Supportive Katsuki Yuuri, Supportive Victor Nikiforov, Voyeurism, Yuri is over 18, not your typical body swap story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-02-17 01:13:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13066056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeriamamaduck/pseuds/aeriamamaduck
Summary: On the sidelines of an argument between Yuri and Otabek, Yuuri and Victor (reluctantly) agree to let the young couple resolve things on their own.And then a well-meaning witch's magic forces them to get involved after a mix-up causes Victor and Yuuri to switch bodies.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **This is an AU of my series of Canonverse fics, so certain things that occur in those fics will likely be mentioned here.**
> 
> Set immediately after **the water's always changing [always flowing]**.

In hindsight, maybe they shouldn't have insisted that Yuri and Otabek join them for dinner.

 

Not when half of the restaurant was pointedly trying to ignore their argument and the other half was trying to listen in on it. The younger men were supposedly arguing quietly and privately in the little hallway that led to the bathrooms, Yuri's angry hisses carrying, along with Otabek's more even tones. To make things worse both young men were utterly visible, glaring at each other as they carried on. 

 

Yuuri fidgeted nervously, guiltily wondering if the invitation had made this argument between them worse. "This isn't good," he said quietly to Victor.

 

"No it's not," his husband agreed, deeply concerned as he gazed at them.

 

"I've seen Yuri get mad, but...he looks like he wants to kill Otabek right now." More so after Yuri had grown few inches taller than his boyfriend over the years. Whatever had occurred between them it was enough that Yuri was reverting to his rather...publicly aggressive tendencies, and it seemed as though Otabek's reasonable attitude wasn't helping things the way it usually did. 

 

Victor leaned in and asked, "Do you think we should leave?"

 

Yuuri thought it was a little late to think about avoiding a scene. No, the scene was utterly complete, and Yuri and Otabek were right in the middle of it. He saw Yuri turn away from Otabek with an audible snarl, stalking back towards the table while Otabek followed, unimpressed. "Wait, shh! They're coming back! Act casual," he warned Victor.

 

Everyone else turned back to their meals in near-unison to the point where Yuuri almost laughed. Almost. Yuri dragged his chair back and sat down on it heavily, arms crossed tight over his chest as he glared in Yuuri and Victor's general direction, and it was a painful reminder of the sullen teen Yuuri met years ago. Otabek was quieter as he sat down, frowning self-consciously as he glanced around them. He cleared his throat and asked hesitantly, "So...you two said you decided were going to adopt?"

 

He was trying to distract them all from whatever had transpired, and Yuuri was all too happy to help him, especially since he'd brought up a topic that was currently consuming most of Yuuri's attention. "Yeah," he replied enthusiastically. "We're really excited about it, but even if it's gotten less complicated than it used to be we still need to be patient."

 

Victor nodded in agreement, clambering onto the distraction train. "That's right! It could still take a while, but we're going to be patient! And we'll be patient together," he said with a warm smile, taking Yuuri's hand in his and squeezing.

 

Unfortunately, before Yuuri could really bask in Victor's reassuring words, he heard Yuri mutter dangerously, "If I hear the word 'patient' one more time..."

 

Otabek sighed, brow furrowed with irritation, and said mildly, "Yura, please..."

 

"'Please', what?!" Yuri shot back, going back to glaring at his boyfriend.

 

Yuuri winced at the young man's volume, already feeling dozens of eyes swiveling back towards them. Victor's grip on his hand tightened for a moment, and he glanced to find his husband glancing between the two of them, obviously searching for the way to mediate this whole thing. Desperate, Yuuri weakly leaped in, immediately feeling foolish when he said, "There's...You're putting a  _lot_ of strength in your jumps, Otabek! I'm impressed!"

 

He shrank back as soon as he saw Yuri roll his eyes, voice venomous as he hissed, "Yeah, because Otabek's so damn disciplined. He's so fucking perfect."

 

"Can we please stop this, Yuri?" Otabek admonished, rubbing at his temple. "For at least a few minutes?"

 

He sounded so worn as he made his entreaties, but Yuuri might have advised him to sound a little less reasonable, considering Yuri was starting to look like an American fire hydrant. To his horror a young woman with long, blue-dyed hair was quickly approaching them, a very familiar "customer service" smile on her pretty face.  _Great. Now they're going to kick us out. It's too bad, I really liked this restaurant. Victor and I had our third "married couple" dinner here..._

 

"Would you like some complimentary dessert, gentlemen? Special  _syrniki_ for each of you!" the young woman said brightly, holding two plates that each held two of the doughy pastries. In his panic, Yuuri hadn't noticed them, but he did breathe with considerable relief even if he still felt incredibly uncomfortable. 

 

"Thank you?" he managed, glancing at Victor with uncertainty. They hadn't really been expecting complimentary dessert, especially after such a scene. Was it some roundabout way of getting them to leave faster? Probably, since they hadn't even been given a chance to order dessert in the first place.

 

"Yes, thank you," Victor added in, his media training allowing him a more convincing smile than Yuuri's very shaky one.

 

The waitress then looked a little gleeful as she placed the plates and napkins in front of each couple. "These are for you two...And these are for you two!" she said pointedly as she put the plate in front of Otabek and Yuri, who were still glaring at the table. "I'll just take your plates now. Please enjoy the rest of your evening!" 

 

With that she practically bounced away, Yuuri staring after her with a raised eyebrow. He would have wondered more about her if Otabek hadn't suddenly burst out with, "You're being ridiculous!" Otabek looked like he was beginning to lose his cool, frowning at Yuri's sulking form. "Can't you let things go even for a little while?"

 

"If I'm being ridiculous, you're being a dick!" Yuri barked, and he was suddenly on his feet, fury flowing off of him. "I'm out of here. I'll see you guys on Monday," he grunted out before quickly walking away from the table.

 

"Yuri!" Otabek exclaimed, trying to keep sight of his retreating boyfriend as he hurriedly got to his feet. He hesitated and turned to Yuuri and Victor, looking incredibly chagrined. "I'm really sorry about this."

 

"Stop  _apologizing for me!"_ Yuri called, making several people gasp in alarm. Yuuri groaned and hid his face in his hand, not seeing Otabek follow after Yuri. 

 

His face was on fire and his heart was racing with anxiety, wondering how things had escalated so quickly and if there were a way to turn back time so he and Victor never would have had the less than brilliant idea of inviting the quarreling couple to dinner. "Well, that could've gone better," he heard Victor murmur, sounding very resigned.

 

"Are people still staring?" Yuuri asked quietly, feeling like his muscles had turned to stone to keep him from moving.

 

"They're trying hard not to," Victor replied, running a soothing hand up and down Yuuri's tense back. Taking a shaky breath, Yuuri reluctantly raised his head, still blushing and trying not to meet anyone's eyes. "Do you think we should talk to Yurio and Otabek?" Victor asked, frowning worriedly before reaching for the  _syrniki_ set in front of them. 

 

Yuuri shook his head, taking the other pancake and nervously biting into it. It was soothingly sweet, tart with raisins. "We shouldn't interfere," he said, trying to calm down. "Long-distance relationships aren't easy, and those two need to figure this out for themselves." It was true, sometimes the long separations caused an unfortunate tension between them, one that Yuuri obviously noticed in Yuri sometimes when things began to bubble over and Yuri was more vicious in his replies than usual. But this was the first time Yuuri had witnessed such tension for himself between the younger couple.

 

"You're probably right," Victor said, dipping what remained of his little pancake into the little bowl of honey and finishing it off. "Still, it's hard to watch them at each other's throats like this."

 

"Yeah, it is," Yuuri admitted, reaching for the second pancake without thinking, and Victor did the same. They ate in thoughtful, uneasy silence, Yuuri wondering if Yuri would really stop and actually talk long enough for them to resolve their argument. Then again Otabek could afford to sound a little less reasonable sometimes. Yuuri put the brakes on that train of thought. It was none of his business until one of them asked for advice, and he doubted that would happen with tempers running high. Swallowing, Yuuri suddenly realized that _both_ plates in front of them were totally bare. "...Did we just eat their  _syrniki?"_ he asked, eyes wide with surprise and embarrassment.

 

Victor looked just as shocked, blinking at the plates as if the pancakes had disappeared by magic. "Oh my God, we did. But look, there's something written on the napkin," he said, reaching for the napkin and shaking off the crumbs over their plate before unfolding it, revealing a sentence that Victor read aloud, " _When s_ _elfless love wins, and pride you lack, only then will you change back_...Did that waitress just try to give those two relationship advice?"

 

"It's oddly fitting," Yuuri said, frowning in the direction of the kitchen. "Really weird, though. Do you feel like heading home?"

 

"Yes, let's go," his husband said, audibly relieved. Yuuri sighed and closed his eyes, wishing for Yuri and Otabek's sake that this evening had never happened.

 

Hours later Yuuri was only starting to feel better about what had occurred at the restaurant. He was still worried about the younger skaters, and couldn't get their argument out of his mind.

 

 _Just stay out of it, Yuuri,_ he told himself as he brushed his teeth, reminding himself that Victor was waiting for him in the bedroom, ready and willing to offer comfort. 

 

He made his way into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him and smiling at the sight of Victor scrolling through his phone. Climbing into bed next to him, Yuuri asked, "Did Yuri and Otabek get home okay?"

 

"Yes, they both texted me a little while ago," Victor reassured him, setting his phone on his nightstand and plugging it onto the charger. He turned to Yuuri with a smile and open arms.

 

Yuuri eagerly sank into those warm arms, pressing a long kiss to Victor's lips as they melded together. Pressing their foreheads together, Yuuri sighed and softly said, "I really hope they'll be okay. They're not just dating, they're each other's best friend."

 

"I'd really hate for Yuri to lose that," Victor murmured in agreement, worry for his student clouding his eyes.

 

They couldn't do anything about it now, and Yuuri wanted to take their minds off everything that had transpired earlier. He caught Victor's lips in his again, the kiss longer and deeper as his hands moved over Victor's body, hands clutching the older man's shoulders and rolling them so Victor was on top of him. His husband hummed contentedly against his lips, "Your kisses are dangerous."

 

"Well, you're the one who taught me how to kiss in the first place," Yuuri replied, and then he melted when Victor's tongue dove into his mouth, drawing out soft noises of pleasure from him.

 

Victor gave him a smug look, reaching up to trace Yuuri's tingling lips with the tip of his finger. "Interested in learning more?"

 

"God, yes," Yuuri sighed, wrapping his legs around Victor's waist and tugging him down for another kiss.

 

* * *

 

 

The first thing Victor noticed when he woke up was a very familiar soreness in his hips and lower back, muscles throbbing in protest as he moved. He winced as discomfort lanced through him when he tried to stretch, swearing softly in confusion. He hadn't bottomed at all last night, so why on earth did it feel like Yuuri had fucked him into the mattress?

 

 _I'm getting old_ , he thought with dismay, now feeling too reluctant to get up and face the day. Even so they had to go on with their day as planned, taking care of Makkachin and making what calls they could to get the adoption process going as quickly as possible. 

 

He sat on the edge of the bed, sleepily stretching through the confusing ache before realizing that he wasn't sitting on the same side that he'd fallen asleep on.  _We probably rolled in different directions,_ he thought, too tired to think about it too deeply. He reached back to give Yuuri's blanket-covered form a pat on what he assumed was his shoulder, knowing his husband wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. 

 

Victor rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear away the remaining blurriness from sleep, and blinked even more when it didn't go away.  _What...?_  

 

Well, that was worrying. 

 

After tugging on his underwear he stepped out of the bedroom and immediately heard Makkachin bounding towards him. His dog gave a few nervous whines, making Victor frown as he knelt to comfort him. "It's alright, Makka. I'll feed you in-"

 

He cut himself off.

 

That wasn't his voice.

 

It was familiar, but...

 

His hand flew to his throat, stomach dropping in alarm. "What the hell...?"

 

Yes, that was indeed coming from his throat. 

 

Had he gotten sick or something? Caught a bug at the restaurant? That was very possible, but...Then again there were those questionable body aches he was feeling, and the blurry vision, which  _hadn't_ improved. 

 

When he moved his hand away he finally got a look at it, and jolted in utter shock.

 

It wasn't his hand.

 

But it was...

 

His hand went to his hair, running through its familiar thickness.

 

It wasn't familiar for the right reasons, though.

 

It was familiar because he'd spent the last few years running adoring fingers through it, sometimes wishing his own hair was so thick.

 

He ran to the bathroom, heart racing in his chest as he looked into the mirror.

 

Yuuri was staring back at him, brown eyes wide with the shock Victor was feeling. He raised a hand to his face and the Yuuri in the mirror did the same, poking his round cheek with his finger. "Y-Yuuri...?" Victor breathed quietly, watching Yuuri's lips move. 

 

Of course.

 

His voice sounded familiar because it was Yuuri's voice, but with...Victor's accent.

 

He clutched at his hair again, breathing hard as Yuuri did the same.

 

No, not Yuuri. Victor.

 

In Yuuri's body.

 

He looked down at himself, hands running down to find the familiar flare of his hips and all other features Victor had dedicated hours to memorizing. Breathing shakily, Victor rushed back into the bedroom, staring at the lump beneath the blanket.

 

_This isn't happening, this isn't happening..._

 

He took a breath in an attempt to steady himself and pulled off the blanket, breath catching in his throat at the sight of his own pale, naked body lying on the bed. He watched his body flinch and listened with mounting alarm as he exclaimed grumpily, "Victor, it's cold!"

 

Victor dropped the blanket, jaw dropping at the sound of his voice without an accent. Why had...he called out to Victor like that if...if he was...Victor looked down at himself again and it fell into place as he stared at his own body shivering against the sudden chill. " _Yuuri?!?"_ he exclaimed loudly.

 

"What?!" Victor/Yuuri groaned into the pillow, turning around and sitting up with a grimace to look up at Victor sleepily, "Don't yell, I'm awake," he muttered, rubbing at his eyes for a moment before catching himself and turning incredibly pale. "...What the..." He stared at Victor, horror dawning in his eyes as he beheld himself standing at the bedside. He too touched his throat, blue eyes wavering in distressed confusion as he listened to himself say, "But...How is...I-I'm standing  _right_ there...!"

 

Victor sat down on the edge of the bed, heart aching as Yuuri flinched away from him. "It's me, Yuuri! Victor! In...In your body," he told him, feeling just as distressed. He pointed towards the mirror, taking Yuuri's hand in his. "Look at yourself!"

 

Yuuri got up on shaky legs, gazing down at himself and looking all the more terrified as he took in the fact that he was staring down at Victor's body and not his own. When he reached the vanity mirror he stared into it for several moments, eyes growing ever wider as he looked at both of their reflections. " _What the hell is going on?_  " he nearly shouted in Japanese, making Victor startle at the look of Yuuri's expressions on his face and the sound of Yuuri's words in his voice. "How did this happen!? Are we in some kind of...nightmare?!"

 

Victor honestly couldn't answer, putting a hand on Yuuri's...his arm and saying, "Let's just...let's try to calm down and..." He shut his eyes in frustration, an ache starting to build in his head. "Sorry, but...I really can't see well..."

 

"Oh, sorry! Here," Yuuri said, terror peppering his voice as he hurried to find his glasses. He handed them to Victor, who took them gratefully and slid them on, bringing the world into focus. He sighed in relief, and watched Yuuri look around the room, blinking with shock. "Wow...Nothing's looked this clear since I was seven..." He started putting his hands on his chest, slowly moving to his stomach before looking up at Victor nervously. "Um...do you mind if I...?"

 

Victor gave a breathless laugh, mind spinning at this entire situation. "Go ahead. It's nothing you haven't seen or touched before."

 

Yuuri nodded quickly, still hesitant as he stared into the mirror again and brought a shaking hand to Victor's body. "You can touch too, if you need to," he said.

 

Staring into the mirror again Victor felt like he'd stepped into a very surreal dream. Those were Yuuri's eyes staring back at him, Yuuri's hands touching the reflective surface. He turned around, staring at Yuuri's moving body.

 

Blaming it on instinct, Victor's hands quickly reached behind him to squeeze Yuuri's rear, and Yuuri gave him a shaky laugh. "Really? That's the first thing you touch?"

 

Victor replied with a laugh of his own, touching for a moment longer before moving his hands. "I'm just amazed that this is even happening! How  _did_ it happen?"

 

"You're asking me?!" Yuuri asked, distressed once again as he sat back down on the bed. "I don't even remember...feeling anything! We took a bath, we fell asleep, and next thing I knew you were waking me up."

 

Victor sat next to him, unable to recall anything strange occurring during the night. "The first thing I noticed was that everything was incredibly blurry. I talked to Makkachin and...my voice didn't sound like mine."

 

He felt Yuuri's gaze on him, turning to find him staring with a slight frown. "...Hearing myself like this is...weird. And  _you_ sound American now..." Then he paled further and looked at Victor with alarm. "Victor, there's practice tomorrow! How are you supposed to coach Yuri and Mila like this?!"

 

Ah. Right. He hadn't thought of that.

 

Victor started to feel worried. He had a responsibility to the three of them as their coach, and he couldn't let anything jeopardize his students. "Well...we could tell them...This doesn't change what I'm able to teach them..."

 

But Yuuri anxiously dragged his hands through his hair, fear in his eyes. "We just decided we were going to adopt! And as a coach you're expected at competitions! How am I supposed to pull that off?! We have to fix this! Now!"

 

"Alright, alright, let's just calm down," Victor tried to soothe, trying not to be tripped up by how bizarre this entire situation was, particularly by the sound of their voices. "Did anything strange happen yesterday? Something we missed?"

 

Yuuri only shook his head tiredly. "I don't know...I don't know, I can't think...God, why did this happen now? How am I even supposed to calm down? What are we going to do?"

 

"We'll fix this," Victor tried to reassure him, drawing his gaze to his. So strange to be looking at Yuuri's fear in his own eyes, but he couldn't fail Yuuri in this. "I promise we're going to fix this," he said firmly.

 

Staring back at him for several moments, Yuuri finally sighed, "Okay...Okay..."

 

It was a start, even if Yuuri wasn't completely at peace. But he trusted Victor, even if he felt just as nervous about everything. He stroked the side of Yuuri's face, finding it strange to be offering such comfort to his own body. He pressed a kiss to Yuuri's cheek, leaning against him for a long moment before getting to his feet and offering his hand. "Come on, I think Makkachin's worried about us."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for taking so long to update!

Victor's eyes looked back at him, thoroughly anxious as Yuuri stood in front of the mirror, trying to really get it through his head that he was currently occupying Victor's body. 

 

His heart was out of control, and he doubted he'd feel any better until his life went back to normal and he could just reside in his own body and Victor could take his back.

 

Ideally that would happen  _today_ , because in no way did Yuuri feel prepared to...stand in for Victor. Maybe if he was still skating...and  _not_ coaching anyone else.

 

Just the thought of having to actually coach had Yuuri feeling nauseous. Victor was intelligent and dedicated, and he worked his students hard. For all their years together Yuuri knew he would never be able to convincingly imitate those qualities.

 

A satisfied grunt from behind him drew his attention away from the mirror, and he was caught between exasperation and amusement as he watched Victor lying on the bed, slowly stretching a leg up and laying it flat against his torso with a look of delight on his face. "Having fun?" Yuuri asked, managing to catch himself before jumping at the sound of Victor's voice coming out of his mouth.

 

"Just testing your wonderful flexibility,  _lyubov_ ," Victor replied breezily before he winced with a hiss and gingerly lowered his leg. "Ow..."

 

"Are you okay?" Yuuri asked, immediately sitting down on the bed and trying to tuck Victor's silver bangs behind his ear.

 

Victor blushed a little, smiling at Yuuri sheepishly as he sat up with a grimace. "I didn't realize I was so rough last night." 

 

Yuuri frowned slightly before blushing hotly when he realized what Victor was referring to. "O-oh! Don't...don't worry, I mean...I did ask for it," he said, Victor's voice stammering with his clumsy words. Hearing it reminded him just how much trouble they were in. The trouble  _he_ was in. Hiding his face in his hands he asked in a miserable tone, "What are we supposed to do about tomorrow? I... _can't_ be a coach!" He hated how whiny he sounded, but he couldn't stomach the thought of sullying Victor's reputation. Worse still, Yurio and Mila's reputations...

 

"Oh, I think you'd make a wonderful coach,  _detka!"_ Victor said enthusiastically.

 

"Focus!" Yuuri exclaimed in annoyance.

 

Nodding placatingly, Victor sat up and took Yuuri's hand in his, smiling at him reassuringly. "Well, the first thing we need to worry about is  _today_ rather than tomorrow. And we still need to figure out how this happened."

 

With a heavy sigh, Yuuri could admit that Victor had a point. Determining the origin of this whole...thing might lead them towards fixing it. "Okay...So what happened yesterday?"

 

"Yuri and Otabek had that awful fight at the restaurant."

 

Yuuri bit his lip at the reminder of that unpleasant scene, and he briefly wondered if the two had made up. "Okay, fight happened. They stormed out, and we ate their dessert because apparently we have no self-control." He kept trying to remember details, anything he might have missed in his worry for Yurio and Otabek. Anything unusual, anything...

 

Then Yuuri remembered. He'd dismissed it as something minor at the time, but..."That waitress was looking at us funny," he said to Victor.

 

"The one with the interesting hair?"

 

"Yeah, her," Yuuri said, his mind racing with all of the details surrounding her appearance and that of the  _syrniki_. The poem. Yuuri remembered the poem. "And didn't that poem seem strange?" he asked Victor.

 

Victor's eyes widened in excitement, and he quickly nodded in agreement. "It did! It...said something about pride...and selfless love..."

 

It only took a moment for Yuuri to remember what came after. "' _Only then will you change back!'_ It was her! She had something to do with this!" Suddenly Yuuri felt a wave of relief. They had a source and (hopefully) a solution. Maybe this was...some kind of prank gone awry. A magical prank. "We have to go to that restaurant," he said to Victor decisively, getting to his feet and heading to the closet to start digging out clothes for them to wear. 

 

Victor joined him, taking a few moments to thoroughly rifle through Yuuri's clothes while Yuuri had already chosen the first shirt and pair of pants he found. "Good idea. Then she can explain what on earth we did to deserve this." Carefully chosen shirt and pants in hand, Victor pouted and added, "I just wanted dessert. I was upset because my student's love life was falling apart."

 

Yuuri dressed quickly, already looking forward to being back in his own flesh once this was all over. He kept blowing his bangs out of his face, finding himself a bit irritated by the way they impaired his vision. "I really hope no one tries to talk to us," he muttered as he pulled on a pair of socks.

 

"Why?" Victor asked, fixing the sleep-tousled mess that was Yuuri's hair at the vanity mirror.

 

Giving him a dry look, Yuuri replied testily, "Because I sound like you had dialect coach and you sound like I lived  _here_ instead  _Detroit_  for five years!"

 

"Oh, _right_."

 

* * *

 

Indeed, Yuuri looked rather nervous as they walked out in public.

 

Or rather Victor looked nervous. At least Victor's face did. It was all very confusing and Victor only knew that Yuuri was thoroughly uncomfortable in this situation, and Victor hated seeing him so distressed. 

 

He really hoped the waitress would be able to reverse this. If not...Victor really didn't see a solution in sight. Not one he could think of immediately at least.

 

No one spoke to them or recognized them at least, but even so Yuuri kept his face down, determined not to meet anyone's gaze and apparently trying to make himself invisible as they walked the streets. 

 

"Relax," Victor murmured, catching Yuuri's hand in his and squeezing. 

 

"I  _can't_ ," Yuuri hissed, squeezing back harder. 

 

Wincing, Victor just kept smiling encouragingly. He couldn't afford to seem discouraged when Yuuri looked ready to fall apart at the slightest provocation.

 

He banished his own misgivings to the very back of his head, needing to concentrate on confronting the person they suspected was responsible.

 

They made it to the restaurant, seeing the same hostess from the night before. She immediately brightened at the sight of them and quickly walked up to them with a wide smile. "Welcome back! Here to make another reservation?" she greeted.

 

Victor glanced at Yuuri, finding an anxious look on his own face. Realizing Yuuri was committed to not saying a single word, Victor cleared his throat and replied, "We're actually looking for someone. Is a blue-haired young woman working today?"

 

The young woman immediately paled, smile dropping from her face. "...Y-you're looking for Nata," she said, quivering and lowering her voice to a whisper as she looked at them both. Victor felt his heart skip a beat. They were on the right track then. Swallowing, the hostess said, "Let me...go find her."

 

She turned on her heel, and Victor looked beyond her to see several waiters and waitresses moving among the tables and going about their work. He could practically feel Yuuri vibrating beside him, and hoped for his sake that finding the waitress in question would fix this. Victor inhaled sharply when he spotted long, blue hair, and saw that it was the same young woman from the night before. Before Victor could call out to her, the hostess hissed in her direction, " _Nata!"_  

 

Nata jumped in surprise and quickly looked up, eyes widening when she looked in their direction. Victor's heart started to race and he gave Yuuri's hand another encouraging squeeze. Swallowing visibly, Nata seemed to hesitate before slowly making her way towards them. She looked increasingly bewildered the closer she got to them, and finally she said, "You two are...not who I was expecting."

 

That certainly didn't sound good.

 

Yuuri, looking utterly frazzled, exclaimed incredulously, "Just who  _were_ you expecting!?"

 

Victor wondered if Yuuri knew he was being incredibly conspicuous, going against his plan to go unnoticed. Backing away slightly, Nata stammered, "U-uh...the two guys who were with you last night! The loud blond guy and his hot boyfriend!"

 

Blinking at her in confusion, Victor asked, "Yurio and Otabek?"

 

The hostess, who'd been standing next to Nata the whole time, let out an exasperated groan. "Nata, what the  _fuck_ did you do now?!"

 

Nata met her glare with one of her own. "I had to do  _something,_ Alya!"

 

"Translation: You had to stick your nose in other people's business instead of letting them handle it themselves like _normal_ people do!" Alya shot back.

 

Victor was beginning to get annoyed by the exchange. Clearing his throat, he put on the best coldly polite smile he could and said, "I'm guessing you ladies know what our little problem is!"

 

Looking properly ashamed, Nata bit her lip and looked at her shoes. "Look, I-I know something went wrong. You two weren't supposed to be the ones coming here. I don't know how this happened! I'm sure I gave those guys the right  _syrniki_. Yours didn't have a spell on them!"

 

Victor felt his stomach drop. It had been a spell, but...He and Yuuri turned to look at each other in shock, Victor recalling how they'd practically inhaled the sweets. "...The...The  _syrniki_ we ate?" he asked, dread filling his heart.

 

"You put a spell on Yurio and Otabek's  _syrniki?"_ Yuuri asked, the volume of his voice steadily increasing. 

 

Then Nata looked surprised. "Wait...Did you two...eat them? _All of them!?"_

 

"Yes! Yura and Beka left without eating dessert!" Victor replied, feeling his own desperation begin to make itself very apparent.

 

"Wow. Greedy," Nata said, blinking at them.

 

Then Yuuri was suddenly towering over her, shouting in Victor's voice. " _YOU PUT A SPELL ON THOSE SYRNIKI TO MAKE TWO PEOPLE SWITCH BODIES. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO ACT SUPERIOR RIGHT NOW?"_

 

Nata yelped and leaped behind Alya, cowering behind her, and Victor noticed with a flush that there were plenty of people looking in their direction. "Yuuri, you're being a bit loud,  _detka,"_ he said quietly, patting Yuuri's arm to try and stop him from biting the girl's head off. Yuuri backed off, though Victor could feel him shaking in a combination of fury and fear. Doing his damndest to keep his own composure, Victor took a deep breath and said with a light smile, "Look, we've cleared everything up. The spell was meant for Yuri and Otabek, so if you could just...switch us back. Please?"

 

He expected a yes. An immediate solution to their problems. A few magic words, maybe some hand waving. Smoke and mirrors. Whatever. Anything to put them back in their own bodies and get them back to their normal lives.

 

But Victor felt his own hope start to disappear when Nata refused to look at them, and then she said, "I...can't."

 

He heard Yuuri make a soft, miserable noise. Eyes narrowing, Victor asked in a low voice, "What do you mean you  _can't?"_

 

Biting her lip yet again, Nata explained in a halting voice, "See...the switch spell itself was on the  _syrniki_ , and you two ate them. _But_ it's up to the other boys to meet the poem's conditions. I guess you two got caught in the middle, so they have to do as the poem says so you two can switch back. ' _When s_ _elfless love wins, and pride you lack, only then will you change back'_ "

 

The poem.

 

Their lives rode on Yurio, Otabek, and a poem.

 

Victor wasn't smiling anymore.

 

Worried, he turned to look at Yuuri, who had gone incredibly pale as his breaths shook. He sounded close to hyperventilating as he covered his face and quietly murmured, "This isn't happening...This isn't happening."

 

Victor silently agreed. He wanted to do the same, to just shut his eyes and wish them back to normal, to hope it was nothing more than a really bad dream. He instead took Yuuri's hand between his again, closing his eyes and firmly saying, "It'll be alright, Yuuri."  _It will be. It has to be._

 

"Are those two guys  _that_ bad at making up?" he heard Alya ask.

 

Yuuri gave a sardonic laugh while Victor replied dryly, "Yurio and pride kind of go hand in hand." Yurio was a good boy, at heart, but his pride was almost legendary. Based on the poem's requirements, he and Otabek hadn't made up yet, or else Yuuri and Victor would have already been back in their bodies.

 

Sighing, Nata said with chagrin. "Look, I'm sorry. I can't help but think this is my fault."

 

Victor couldn't hold back his glare anymore, and Yuuri matched it with his own, both of them making Nata shrink back.

 

Recovering, she immediately said, "But it's not impossible to fix! I'm sure that if you talk to your friends and explain the situation they'll actually try and make up!"

 

So their lives really were in those boys' hands. Victor tried not to feel like it was hopeless, but...

 

He shut the thought away. Yuri would understand. Maybe he really would lay his pride aside and make up with Otabek. He had to have faith in his young student. 

 

"Just how are we supposed to explain  _this?"_ Yuuri asked, sounding completely hopeless.

 

"We'll think of something, Yuuri," Victor said with total certainty.

 

At least he hoped he sounded certain. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **victor** : help me yura-wan kenobi. you're my only hope.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was interesting and fun to work on. Hopefully everyone has fun reading it! Please leave a comment!
> 
> There are a few references to events from _**transform**_.

"This is a disaster," Yuuri groaned, sinking into the couch and hiding his face in Makkachin's fur. The poodle gave a worried little whine but stayed put, letting Yuuri lie there miserably.

 

He could hear Victor moving around, in  _his_ body, probably looking more confident than Yuuri had ever felt. He was likely exaggerating, but Yuuri hadn't exactly heard a lot of good news in the past few hours. 

 

He felt Victor sit down, and felt his hand rub circles on his back. "It isn't a disaster yet, Yuuri. We already know this isn't permanent."

 

"Yeah, but..." Yuuri raised his gaze, blinking rapidly and looking away, frustrated tears stinging his eyes as he fought to keep his voice even. "Look, I care about Yurio. At this point he's like a little brother to me...But Yurio's like you. You two really know how to hold a grudge."

 

Victor gave him a dry look, saying with three light pats to Yuuri's back, "Thanks for that." He then sighed thoughtfully, reaching up to slide his glasses back up from the very tip of his nose. The fact that he'd let them move that far down almost made Yuuri laugh. Almost. "And Otabek keeps many things to himself. It makes Yura nervous," he reasoned with a touch to his chin.

 

"What, like secrets?"

 

"More like he holds himself back." 

 

"What if it'd been us arguing?" Yuuri asked, sitting up and staring at his knees. Victor's knees, following his limbs down to his ankles, slowly rolling the one that had been fractured. Many times he'd asked himself what it might have been like to be in Victor's shoes, but he hadn't figured he'd get his answer so literally. 

 

Victor didn't hesitate in replying as he pressed his cheek to Yuuri's shoulder. "I'd toss all my pride aside and get on my knees and apologize. We would have gone back to normal hours ago." He then turned Yuuri's gaze to his, gently stroking his trembling bottom lip with a tender look. "You know I hate seeing you unhappy."

 

Yuuri bit his lip. The last thing he wanted to do was cry. Sighing, he asked in shaky tones, "How are we even going to explain this to Yurio and Otabek? 'We switched bodies and you two are our only hope of switching back, so let's have some couples' therapy'?" It sounded completely ridiculous and he was  _living_ it.

 

"That sounds easy enough!" Victor said with a wide, optimistic smile.

 

"Victor!" Yuuri shot back with a scowl.

 

Raising his hands in a placating gesture, Victor's smile mellowed and he yet again tapped his lips thoughtfully. It was...very strange for Yuuri to see _himself_ using a gesture so decidedly characteristic of Victor. "They will want some kind of proof, and I'm not exactly sure what kind to give them."

 

Yuuri nodded, unable to muster up any of Victor's optimism as their situation seemed bleaker with every passing hour. If this didn't work, life as they knew it was over. Yuuri, trapped in Victor's body, would no longer skate competitively, and he'd have to pass himself off as a capable coach for two other skaters. Every plan they'd made for the near future, disappearing before their eyes. Yuuri's throat grew painfully tight with tears he didn't want to shed, but within seconds they were making their way down his face. "...We were going to have kids," he said, his voice cracking.

 

He looked away from the look of alarm on his own face, biting his lip as Victor touched his shaking shoulder. "We can still do that, Yuuri!"

 

He heard Makkachin give a worried little yip. Letting out something between a laugh and a sob, Yuuri asked desperately, "Oh, really?! How do you expect  _anyone_ to trust that two people claiming to have switched bodies can be decent parents!? And what about talking to the social workers?" The thought of it made him feel sick, and he had to bury his face in his hands, shaking violently. He shouldn't have gotten his hopes up, he  _really_ shouldn't have thought things were going to go well-

 

The strength of his own grip surprised Yuuri as Victor stood in front of him and grabbed his shoulders, stopping his shaking. Victor's hard gaze from behind brown eyes shocked Yuuri, and then Victor said firmly, "I meant that we can still have kids because we are going to get back to our own bodies soon. This is just a setback."

 

Yuuri sniffled pathetically and croaked, "A pretty big setback."

 

Victor's gaze softened and he bowed his head to press a kiss to Yuuri's forehead, pressing his against it as he rubbed Yuuri's shoulders soothingly. "Come now, don't cry, Yuuri." 

 

Shaking his head and miserably wiping at his eyes, Yuuri whined, "This is just perfect...Now it's gonna look like Victor Nikiforov just cries at the drop of a hat." 

 

"Now I don't think that'll really ruin my reputation, Yuuri," Victor said with a little laugh.

 

"No, but I might do something else to ruin your reputation!" Yuuri said, and Victor suddenly didn't look amused. "And what about Yurio and Mila?! They need a coach who actually  _knows_ what he's doing!" A freshet of tears occurred at the reminder, and Yuuri just let them fall onto the floor.

 

"Yuuri, you're a gold medalist. You  _do_ know what you're doing," Victor said with a certainty Yuuri didn't feel at the moment.

 

"Yeah, but I'm... _not_ you!" he insisted, distressed by the sound of Victor's voice coming out of his mouth. His chest ached with anxiety and he  _couldn't_ lift his gaze again and see what he was  _supposed_ to be; just Katsuki Yuuri, the man Victor Nikiforov married. His own self, who'd worked himself to the bone to get to where he was, with Victor at his side. Swallowing painfully, he wiped at his eyes again and said, "I might have imitated you growing up...and as confident as I've learned to be, I don't think I can be the kind of coach you are!"

 

He let Victor draw his head towards his abdomen, Yuuri crying against the soft fabric of his sweater as Victor calmly stroked his hair. "I know how you feel, Yuuri. Trust me. Do you think I don't feel a little nervous being in your shoes?"

 

Yuuri huffed a bitter laugh and finally looked up at Victor. "You being me would be an  _improvement."_  

 

But Victor only shook his head, brow wrinkled in a slight frown. "Your fans don't want  _me_. They want you. All these years, and that's still so hard to understand?" he asked, fingers trailing over Yuuri's temple.

 

Closing his eyes again, Yuuri tried to pretend everything was normal. It was _Victor's_ fingers stroking over his skin, and he'd open his eyes to find his vision at its usual blurriness. "I don't even know what I understand anymore. I can't...handle this the way you can."

 

Victor's fingers stopped, and Yuuri heard him sigh before saying in steady tones, "Yuuri, I just got used to the idea that I'm never going to skate competitively again. And then  _this_ happens." Then Yuuri felt Victor let him go, and he opened his tear-sore eyes to find Victor still standing in front of him, looking at the floor, his expression actually matching Yuuri's anxious ones. "Suddenly I have to be Katsuki Yuuri, the best skater in Japan! One of the best skaters in the world! And now...what if you're right and...this ruins our plans completely?"

 

He looked so worried and had gone pale. Yuuri just gazed at him, and watched Makkachin slowly make his way towards Victor, whining softly as he nosed at Victor's hand. Yuuri watched Victor kneel with a sad look in his eyes, petting Makkachin thoroughly, and he wondered if the dog  _knew_ exactly what was wrong. Yuuri honestly wouldn't put it past him, not after he'd just learned that magic actually existed.

 

Victor looked at him again, pained, and said, "I could never take your place. To even try would be blasphemy. And I really want us to fix this so we can start our family, just like we planned."

 

He looked so forlorn as he got up to once again sit next to Yuuri, considerably subdued. Biting his lip, Yuuri reached out to slide his glasses back up his nose. Apparently Victor didn't notice they kept sliding down. "...I'm sorry. I didn't...Obviously this is just as scary for you."

 

Victor gave a dry laugh as he smiled faintly. "Well, you know me. I like to be the strong and charming one."

 

Yuuri's heart ached, but for a wholly different reason. Of course Victor was scared, and he just...wanted to comfort Yuuri. He suddenly itched to do something, something to calm them both.

 

He looked down at his hand, at the golden band on Victor's ring finger. He remembered one occasion when he returned home to find Victor frantically looking for it, apparently having lost it after taking it off to do a chore. Victor had been near tears, and when they finally found the ring behind the sink spout, Victor burst into overjoyed tears before pulling his coat on and running out to buy a ring holder, leaving Yuuri behind to deal with the disaster zone that was their home.

 

Yuuri raised the hand to his lips, pressing them against the ring for a moment until he heard Victor chuckle, "What's that for?"

 

Blushing hotly, Yuuri replied sheepishly, "I just...I really wanted to kiss you just then."

 

Victor gave him a slow smile as he took his hand. "Well, I'm right here, aren't I?" he asked, eyes darkening playfully.

 

His blush intensifying, Yuuri kept smiling as he stared down at his knees. "Really? You'd kiss yourself?" he was surprised, but then he wondered why it was so surprising that Victor _would_.

 

Then Victor reached up to turn his face towards his, and Yuuri had to look at his own face giving him an alluring face worthy of _Eros_. "Why not? I'm still an attractive man, aren't I?" Victor asked, stroking Yuuri's cheek with the backs of his fingers.

 

"Narcissist," Yuuri muttered, leaning into the touch and feeling less than attractive, his eyes and throat aching from all the crying.  _What am I thinking? Victor looks like an angel even when he cries._

 

Victor gave another soft chuckle, face suddenly closer to Yuuri's as he stroked his jaw. "Just a bit of self-love. But then you know all about that, don't you?" he breathed against Yuuri's lips before kissing him, soft and lingering. Yuuri closed his eyes out of habit, everything but his lips frozen as Victor's pressed gently against his. He was still frozen when Victor drew away, asking softly, "How was that?"

 

Yuuri's heart raced wildly as he stared back at himself. Not a stranger. Victor, but...himself, with Victor's words and expression. "...Really weird," he whispered once his eyes could focus again.

 

"Bad weird?" Victor whispered back.

 

"I...don't know yet," Yuuri said, heat rising up the back of his neck as he licked his lips and leaned in to kiss Victor, muffling the man's surprised noise as he molded his lips against his own, feeling like it was their first kiss all over again. Only this time it didn't feel like it was ending before Yuuri realized what was happening. This was slower, tender, and felt like soft silk. Then Yuuri had a thought that made him smile as they came apart, lips still brushing against Victor's. "You're wearing so much lip balm," he murmured.

 

"Because you bite your lips so much. Don't they feel soft now?" Victor asked, grinning before pressing another kiss to the corner of his own mouth.

 

"I-I think so," Yuuri replied, blushing as he smiled back at Victor, who looked utterly delighted. The knots in his chest and stomach had unraveled for the moment, and he just kept looking at Victor, striving to find him in the brown of his own eyes, in that sweetly playful smile quirking his own lips.  _I guess we're both narcissists now,_ he thought with amusement. 

 

But it didn't fix everything, even if Yuuri felt slightly more level-headed. They still had to get back to normal before Yuuri was forced to make his secret debut as a coach. He thought about what Victor had said, and asked hesitantly, "So...You really think I'd make a good coach?"

 

"Why wouldn't you?" Victor replied, smiling with enthusiasm at the idea. "You're incredibly talented and you're so good at explaining things to Mila and Yuri when they need help.  _And_ you adore kids and you're very patient with others."

 

" _Sometimes_ I'm patient," Yuuri clarified, scratching at the back of his neck. "And I think I'm more patient with others than I am with myself."

 

Victor then wrapped his arms around Yuuri, giving him a reassuring squeeze and a quick kiss to his temple. "Relax, it's not like I'm asking you to retire immediately and figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life. I don't think you're done with the ice just yet, but...it is something to think about."

 

Yuuri nodded, cutting off those thoughts before he let them carry him away. "I'll think about it. Later. Right now we both need to think about what we're going to say to those two."

 

"I'll just tell Yurio that we need to meet him at the rink. An emergency," Victor said, pulling his phone out and opening his message chain from Yurio. "Since this really is an emergency, it's not a lie!" he added with a wide smile.

 

"What about Otabek?"

 

"I'll tell him the same thing. He'd do anything for his in-laws." 

 

"In-laws?" Yuuri asked, eyebrow quirking up.

 

"Haven't you noticed he acts like a nervous son-in-law around us? It's adorable."

 

"...Huh."

 

Moments after sending messages to both young men, Yurio replied, and Victor read the message with a series of nods. "Mmm. A lot of swear words from dear Yura. But he's coming."

 

"Okay. That just leaves Otabek," Yuuri said, anxiously staring at the phone.

 

Fortunately it pinged with a notification a moment later, and Victor opened the message. "Ah! A very polite answer!" He said approvingly before getting to his feet. "We might as well start heading over there then."

 

Ah. Back out in public. Yuuri sagged against the couch, worry making his body feel like lead. "Great. Because my Victor Nikiforov impression is so spot-on."

 

"Victor Nikiforov-Katsuki," Victor clarified, pulling a jacket and coat on and tossing another pair at Yuuri before beaming at him and exclaiming, "Now come on. Do me! Do me!"

 

Yuuri, smiling even after being buried in a coat and jacket, asked playfully, " _Do_ you? Can't that wait until after this is over?"

 

"Come  _on!"_ Victor insisted, tugging the clothes off of Yuuri and looking at him excitedly.

 

"Fine," Yuuri huffed, getting to his feet and deciding to indulge his husband. He tossed a hand out in a dramatic gesture, exclaiming haughtily, "Yurio, throw yourself into your choreography! I demand more drama, you hear? Bare your soul at the interview and we'll go get drinks later! Lay all your feelings out there and one day you will go as bald as I-" Then he gasped, loudly, and put a hand to his head, smirking at the dry look Victor was giving him. He threw himself back onto the couch in a mock-faint, Makkachin bounding around him happily. " _BALD?!_ Oh, the  _shame!_ The eternal agony! I must hide myself away where no one will see me! Or buy a bunch of wigs, one for every day of the week! But I will  _never_ wear one more than once! Got to keep surprising everyone!"

 

He had to stop once he couldn't hold back his laughter, heart feeling lighter than it had in hours, even if Victor was pouting above him. Clutching his stomach, he had to keep smiling at Victor, who had his hands on his hips. "You're easier than I thought," Yuuri told him with a smirk.

 

Victor smirked back, reaching down to tug Yuuri back up. "Excuse me? Married or not, you  _do_ have to take me out to dinner first!"

  

"That reminds me, I should get naked at every opportunity too," Yuuri said thoughtfully.

 

"I do  _not!"_  

 

"Fair enough...I should get naked every time I get drunk and throw my clothes at people."

 

Looking unfazed, Victor sagely replied, "You do that too."

 

"...Crap."

 

* * *

 

Yuuri's improved mood didn't appear to last five minutes after they'd made their way out of their apartment, and Victor had to hold on fast to his husband's hand, lest he decide to run back to their apartment rather than face a potentially uncomfortable conversation with Yurio and Otabek. Therefore it seemed that the trip to the rink lasted longer than it should have. 

 

Victor understood how he felt, but as he'd told Yuuri he didn't want to let on and add to Yuuri's generous supply of anxieties. He felt like someone was dangling something tempting before his eyes, and Victor had to fight it. Yuuri's star kept rising, and he'd suffered no major injuries. He could skate for another few years, at least he could if he were back in his body. Until then, Victor knew stepping onto the ice in Yuuri's strong body wouldn't do him any favors. The past few months had already been hard enough.

 

And Yuuri grew paler still when they got to the rink, eyes swiveling around as though he were already expecting Yurio and Otabek to be there. But he did freeze when he spotted one of the caretakers, Ilya, walking towards them, a look of surprise on his face appearing as he saw them enter. "A surprise practice session, Victor?" he asked, and Victor had to bite his lip to keep from answering.

 

Unfortunately Yuuri was too distracted to answer in Victor's place, and Victor had to lightly elbow him and flick his head towards Ilya. Alarmed, Yuuri flushed and stammered in response in halting Russian, "Er...Not exactly! It's just a very...fast emergency meeting!" His smile was so uneasy that Victor cringed inwardly, but he kept his mouth shut and just kept smiling at the older man.

 

If Ilya thought anything was amiss, he kept it to himself, nodding and asking, "Is old man Feltsman alright?"

 

"Fine!" Yuuri exclaimed, his usually near-perfect accent slipping in his terror. "He's wonderful...Lilia's keeping him in top shape."

 

That was when Ilya frowned slightly, giving Victor's husband a concerned gaze before nodding again slowly and saying, "Good. Well...Then I'm off."

 

Victor sighed in quiet relief as he watched the man wave as he walked off. Yuuri waved back, still wearing a brittle smile. As soon as they were sure Ilya was gone Yuuri sank onto one of the benches, burying his face in his hands and muttering, "I'm going to die, I'm going to  _fucking_ die."

 

"No you won't. I'm right here," Victor said as he sat beside him and laid a hand on his back.

 

Yuuri took several deep breaths as he kept rubbing at his face, and finally looked up to ask as steadily as he could, "Can...Can you ask them how close they are?"

 

"Yuuri, they're coming," Victor replied as calmly as he could, silently hoping that his student and his boyfriend would appear as quickly as possible. "Just sit here and try not to get too worked up."

 

Nodding quietly, Yuuri suddenly laid his head on Victor's shoulder. Victor peered down at his own face, etched with Yuuri's worry, and wondered if it was what Yuuri saw when Victor was laid low by melancholy. Yuuri was still terrified of what this would mean for them, and of the possibility of having to step up as a coach to two talented skaters before he was ready for it. Victor had meant what he said about Yuuri's potential future as a coach, but this wasn't the way he wanted Yuuri to fall into that role, not when people were expecting "Coach Victor."

 

He pressed a kiss to his own forehead and laid his cheek against it, staring out at the ice. 

 

Then they both jumped when someone suddenly yelled, "Is this what this stupid meeting was for? So I could watch you two suck face?"

 

"Yurio!" Yuuri exclaimed, rapidly getting to his feet and anxiously staring at Yurio, who was frowning coldly as he stalked in.  _Not good_ , Victor thought, realizing Yurio was still very angry over what had occurred the night before. Swallowing, Yuuri clenched his hands nervously at his sides and said, "A-Actually...We should wait until everyone gets here."

 

The fury in Yurio's eyes suddenly flared up. "...What,  _Mila's_ coming?!" he asked, almost hissing out his rinkmate's name.

 

"...No, she's not..."

 

" _YES_ , she is!" Victor heard Mila's voice reply, and he felt his stomach give a violent lurch when he turned and indeed saw her enter with a determined look, trailed by a frowning Otabek.

 

Turning back towards Yurio, Victor watched his face turn every shade of red, and he turned to growl at Yuuri, " _YOU TOLD MILA TO COME!?"_

 

Victor instinctively stepped between them, glancing at Mila questioningly as Yuuri exclaimed defensively, "I didn't!"

 

Mila approached them, facing Yurio squarely even as he seemed to be fighting the urge to leap at her. "You wouldn't let me talk to you, so I had to talk to Otabek instead," she said, glancing at the dark-haired skater, his mouth a thin line of exasperation as he looked at Yurio.

 

"Pretty fucking convenient," Yurio snarled.

 

Victor could feel a very intense headache coming on. "Don't tell me you're fighting with Mila too," he said before he could stop himself, pouting at his student.

 

Yurio spun towards him, yelling angrily, "This doesn't concern you, piggy!"

 

"Is that always your fallback, Yuri? Insults?" Otabek suddenly asked, looking calm even as his dark eyes gazed at Yurio challengingly.

 

" _Who asked you?!"_ Yurio shot back.

 

" _Enough!"_ Victor shouted firmly, drawing everyone's gaze to him. Yurio quieted reluctantly, glaring at Victor as he took a step back. Rubbing at the bridge of his nose, Victor said in steady tones, "We asked you here for a reason, and it's  _really_ important that you both listen."

 

He gave Mila a pointed look, but the red-head shook her head and parked herself on a bench, decisively crossing her legs. "Oh, I'm not leaving. I'm involved."

 

"...Involved how?"

 

"Yuri thinks I'm pond scum."

 

"How is that any different from any other day?"

 

She gave a sardonic laugh while Yuuri gave her an incredulous look. "This time I'm pond scum who cheats on her girlfriend with her best friend's boyfriend. Which I _don't,_ " she said, shooting Yurio a glare.

 

Victor stared at the three of them in surprise. It...certainly wasn't something that he'd expected. Yurio and Otabek had seemed so besotted with each other from the beginning, and Mila couldn't seem to keep Sara's name from her mouth most days. Yurio and Mila had always seemed like squabbling siblings, but Victor had never seen Yurio give her such a hateful look. " _That's_ what this is about?!" he asked in disbelief.

 

"And the fact that he's still texting an ex," Yurio muttered, finally sitting down on a bench as far from Otabek as possible and crossing his arms tight over his chest, hunched shoulders reminding Victor of an angry feline.

 

Otabek finally groaned in exasperation and replied testily, "I'm selling my old equipment. She made an offer and wanted to see how I'm doing. It was  _completely_ innocent, Yura!"

 

"Just like Mila's crush on you is innocent," Yurio retorted, shooting a hard look at Mila again.

 

Anger flaring up in Mila's eyes, she shot back, "That was a  _million_ years ago, Yuri! How could you think I would ever do that to you?! To  _Sara?"_

 

"Just  _what_ exactly did I do to make you this insecure, Yuri?" Otabek put in, his legendary composure starting to crack. 

 

"HAVEN'T YOU BEEN FUCKING LISTENING?!" Yurio shouted, looking like he was about to explode. 

 

"I have been, and I've been trying to understand," Otabek replied. "But it's hard to even get a word in edgewise when you're acting like a..."

 

Victor exchanged a glance with Yuuri, sensing the upcoming spike in Yurio's dangerous temper. The young skater's eyes narrowed as they focused on Otabek, who seemed reluctant to finish his statement. "What? A  _what?_ Say it!"

 

With a sharp exhale, Otabek finally looked right at Yurio and said, "A brat."

 

Yuuri was faster than Victor, bolting forward to wrap his arms around Yurio in restraint when the young man suddenly leapt to his feet. " _FUCKING LET GO, VICTOR,"_ Yurio shouted, and Victor quickly went over to restrain his arm when he tried to elbow his way out. Furious, Yurio shouted at Otabek, "You think you're so fucking perfect you can't stand having a brat like me around, fucking up your perfect life!"

 

Otabek's features hardened in anger, and he finally said in louder tones, "You  _really_ think my life is perfect?"

 

Victor almost laughed at the mess Nata had created. "This switch would have done them a world of good," he muttered at Yuuri as he hung on to Yurio's arm.

 

 _"Victor!"_ Yuuri exclaimed, looking at the trio in alarm.

 

Otabek frowned at them in confusion, and asked Yuuri, "...Why did you just call  _him_  'Victor?'"

 

Yuuri looked utterly horrified as he stared at Otabek. "I-it's a long story..."

 

"And it's  _your_ fault," Victor added bluntly before turning to Mila with a bright grin. "Not you, Milochka. You're innocent."

 

Mila blinked at him in bewilderment. "Thanks, Yuuri...I guess?"

 

Yuuri's grip growing lax, Yurio finally darted out of their grasp, asking Victor in a snarl, "Why the fuck do  _you_ have an accent now?"

 

"That's what we wanted to talk to you two about," Yuuri started explaining, voice nearly soft with nerves. Victor glanced at the confused skaters, knowing that they'd never seen "him" that way before. Yuuri continued haltingly as a blush rose to his face, "See, when Vi...When we woke up this morning...We weren't ourselves."

 

"Literally," Victor put in, and Yurio gave him an impatient look.

 

After clearing his throat in an apparent attempt to delay the inevitable, Yuuri took a breath and said, "Last night...a lot of people noticed you two arguing. And...one of them happened to be a witch."

 

"She cast a spell that was meant for Yurio and Otabek, and there was a bit of a mix-up," Victor informed, smiling at the blank stares the three skaters were giving them both.

 

"So...the both of us had...part of the spell cast on us, and we..." Yuuri swallowed, eyes wide with anxiety as he avoided the trio's eyes, and finally said quietly, "We switched bodies."

 

"And the other half of the spell says that we won't be able to go back to normal until Yurio and Otabek make up," Victor added, as if he were explaining some difficult step sequence and nothing else was out of the ordinary. "Any questions?" he asked brightly.

 

A heavy silence lay between them all, and Victor could feel Yuuri want to sink into the floor and disappear completely. Then Yurio said with an incredulous glare, "Yeah, I have one. What the fuck did you two smoke before you called me over for this bullshit?"

 

Yuuri exhaled raggedly, his shoulders sagging. "Yurio, I really wish this was a joke, but it isn't. Why do you think Victor...I mean  _I_ sound weird? And why would _I_ talk with a Russian accent?!" he asked, pointing at his own body.

 

Yurio gave an angry shrug. "Victor has some freaky accent kink."

 

Otabek had been staring at them with a slight frown, but it was obvious he too didn't believe them. He shook his head, looking uncomfortable, and said, "...I think we may need more proof than that."

 

"I've got just the thing," Mila exclaimed with a snap of her fingers before going to stand in front of Victor, regarding him with a smirk. "Okay,  _Victor._ If it really is you, tell us the big surprise you told us have planned for Yuuri."

 

Victor's heart plummeted. He knew he'd needed proof, but...the subject was something he'd thought about for a while, something he'd only shared with his students, wanting to give Yuuri something he knew would make him happy. "I  _can't,"_ he replied, glancing at Yuuri.

 

His husband stared at him, curiosity shining through his nerves. "What surprise?"

 

Mila smiled mischievously. "It's something Victor's only told me and Yura. He made us  _swear_ not to breathe a word to you or anyone else."

 

It was one of the secrets Victor kept under tight wraps, anticipating Yuuri's reaction with a bit of impatience, but this wasn't how Victor wanted him to find out. Giving up, Victor sighed and said to Yuuri, "Please cover your ears,  _detka."_

 

"Victor..."

 

"I promise, I'll tell you soon!"

 

Yuuri huffed and covered his ears, looking at the floor with a frown.

 

After a moment of silence, Victor made sure Yuuri couldn't get a look at his mouth, and said to the other skaters in low tones, "...I want us to use Yuuri's name for our child's patronymic."

 

Mila giggled delightedly while Yurio took an astonished step back, wide-eyed as he said, "Holy shit, it  _is_ the old man. Victor's been sitting on that one for ages."

 

"No way would he ruin  _that_ surprise!" Mila asserted, looking between Victor and Yuuri wonderingly.

 

Yuuri uncovered his ears after a nod from Victor, who asked with a slight blush, "...Did you hear anything?"

 

"No, and now I'm wondering..."

 

"I'll tell you soon!" Victor assured him.

 

Mila suddenly coughed twice, and Victor swore he heard the word "anniversary" between the coughs. Then she went back to looking like an excited child, beaming widely. "This is so cool! How does it feel to be in each other's bodies?!"

 

"Strange. Terrifying," Yuuri muttered in reply, 

 

"And a little inconvenient, considering our plans," Victor added, heart lurching with that sense of urgency.

 

Otabek looked completely taken aback, breathing a little shakily before clearing his throat and asking, "Well...You two said this had something to do with us?"

 

"It's simple. Half of the spell was on the  _syrniki_ the waitress gave us before you two left. Yuuri and I ate them."

 

"Big surprise there," Yurio murmured.

 

"But there was also a poem," Yuuri explained. "It basically said that we're not going to go back to normal until you two work this out."

 

"Specifically you both have to let go of your pride and love selflessly! ' _When selfless love wins, and pride you lack, only then will you change back'._ " Victor nodded firmly, smiling at the younger couple and nodding encouragingly.

 

Then he could feel his optimism waver when Otabek sighed heavily. "...It's not that simple." He then looked at Yurio pointedly, frowning yet again. "I'm not the one with a pride problem."

 

"Go to hell," Yurio replied, crossing his arms again and tearing his gaze away from them all.

 

Taken aback, Victor gave Yuuri an anxious glance, finding dismay on his face as he looked at Yurio and Otabek. Trying to keep his voice even, Victor said, "That isn't helping, boys."

 

"You know what else doesn't help? Everyone fucking acting like I'm  _three years old!"_  Yurio shouted, fury blazing through his eyes. "Yeah, I get fucking angry, and it's for a good goddamn reason!" He turned to Otabek again, and fortunately didn't try leaping at him again. "I get jealous! You don't just get to brush it off as me being immature! Especially not when you're the one that ran off to a hotel last night instead of fucking _listening_  to me!"

 

"I try to!" Otabek shouted back. "And don't pretend like I don't. But you're so busy yelling and deciding I'm guilty that I can't even get a single word in!"

 

"Because I already know what you're going to say! 'He's just a friend, Yura. I only went out with her a few times, Yura. Don't make a big deal, Yura.' It's like you do it all on fucking purpose just to make me look stupid! Then you get to look like the big fucking hero all over again! Well, I'm fucking sick of it!"

 

"And I'm sick of you accusing me all the time! Do you think I like fighting like this? Do you think  _this_ ," Otabek asked as he pointed at Victor and Yuuri, who had gone completely silent. "Is  _fine!?"_

 

"Well then  _you_ face the fact that you've been acting like a total shit!" Yurio yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Otabek.

 

"Then you accept that you're being unreasonable and paranoid," Otabek replied, meeting Yurio's glare levelly. "Mila's crush on me never bothered you before."

 

"A crush I haven't had in ages, for the record," Mila murmured, eyes darting anxiously between the two.

 

"You want it to stop bothering me?  _STOP ACTING SO FRIENDLY WITH HER AND YOUR STUPID EXES,_ " Yurio roared.

 

"There's just no reasoning with you," Otabek muttered with an impatient shake of his head.

 

Scoffing angrily, Yurio retorted with, "Fine. I'm sorry then. Sorry I can't be your perfect, mature,  _quiet_ boyfriend!"

 

"You're just proving my point."

 

" _TAKE YOUR POINT AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR_ -"

 

" _WILL YOU BOTH JUST STOP!?"_ Yuuri suddenly shouted, making Mila and Victor jump. 

 

Yurio and Otabek fell silent, both of them staring at Yuuri in astonishment.

 

Victor did too, not having expected such an outburst from him. He was breathing shakily, jaw clenched as he looked at Yurio and Otabek with desperation and anger. "Yuuri-"

 

"No! I...I  _can't,_ Victor, I just..." Yuuri covered his face with a hand, shaking his head and raking the hand through his hair, making him look disheveled. He then said shakily, "People  _aren't perfect._ People have baggage, and they bring that baggage into their relationships! Victor and I have baggage, but we work on it  _and_ we work on ourselves because we decided what we have is worth fighting for!" Tears suddenly filled his eyes, and he wiped at them furiously as Victor watched, wanting to do anything to stop him from crying. Yuuri just stared at the floor with so much agony that it struck at Victor's heart, and Yuuri just shook his head again. "I'm sorry...I-I'm...I'm really sorry..." 

 

Then he started walking away, past Yurio and Otabek, who stared after him in astonished silence. 

 

Victor forgot about them and Mila, every one of his senses focused on Yuuri, who was getting farther away from him with every passing moment. Without a word to the others, Victor went after Yuuri. He might not have been able to fix this entire mess, but he wasn't about to leave Yuuri to deal with the fallout alone.

 

* * *

 

Yuri kept staring after Yuuri and Victor, stunned into silence as he watched them run out without another word to them. 

 

He wondered if this was all actually happening to him, if he was actually witness to something beyond his understanding that had tried to meddle in his and Otabek's love life. Or what was left of it. 

 

Hell, he couldn't even begin to process that Yuuri, in Victor's body, had just yelled at them. 

 

Still, the shock hadn't dulled his anger, but merely quieted it for the moment. 

 

Until he heard Mila say sardonically, "Well, that was fun to watch."

 

"Shut up, Mila," he hissed at her, not wanting to look at her.

 

But Mila wasn't having it, stepping into his line of sight and peering into his face with an unamused expression. "Really? You actually want to leave it like this when Victor and Yuuri are in this much trouble?" 

 

He gave her a disbelieving look, envy and anger flaring up in his heart when he looked at her. They weren't entirely new feelings, and this wasn't the first time he and Otabek had argued over this, but...it was the worst fight yet. He'd laughed at Mila the first time she confessed to a harmless crush on Otabek a few years back, before she and Sara became a thing, only now it had set off so much paranoia in Yuri, especially when he thought about Otabek's other exes and their seemingly permanent place in his life. Couldn't at least one of those break ups have been explosive enough to warrant Otabek never wanting to see them again?

 

He glared at Mila, snarling, "You're blaming  _us?_ Why don't you blame that stupid witch who decided to stick her nose in everyone's business?!"

 

"Well, yeah. She does deserve a talking to...I mean who the hell  _does_ this kind of stuff without thinking about the consequences?" Mila asked, more to herself before shaking her head and focusing on Yuri again. "But look. It's not just for Victor and Yuuri's sake...Why keep hurting each other like this? Just talk things over and make up."

 

"Because it's so easy, isn't it?" Otabek asked, that same strange sardonic tone in his voice, so out of place coming from him. Yuri had prided himself on his strong character, on his ability to rise to the challenge despite every obstacle in his path. But at the worst moments, Yuri felt off-balance, especially when Otabek made a point of displaying control as much as he could, in all aspects of his rich life. It wasn't that he let his guard down around Yuri, who treasured those moments when Otabek showed off that vulnerable side  _just_ to him. He guarded them jealously, wondering if that was what Yuuri felt when it came to Victor. 

 

Days like these, however, Yuri felt immature and chastened, and he hated it. He hated having his worried brushed off, and regretted ever being so completely honest with Otabek. How was he expected to keep his cool when that jackass Darya or Alya whateverhernamewas kept giggling at every word Otabek said to her when they Facetimed?

 

Mila's sigh was full of pity, and Yuri ground his teeth at the sound of it. "I  _know_ it isn't easy. And I know it isn't always as easy as only one person being guilty." She looked at Yuri, appearing more serious than he'd ever seen her. "Yuri, you get so angry and scary, trying to talk to you gets exhausting. You can't just yell all the time and expect to be understood. And you have to trust that the people who really love you aren't going to hurt you.  _Especially_ not me. You're like a brother to me, for hell's sake. It's why I told you about my old crush on Otabek."

 

"You only told me because you were being your sloppy drunk self," Yuri muttered. Truthfully, it had been in the middle of a tirade about how none of the people she'd dated or had crushes on mattered now that she and Sara were together. Then she swore she'd throw a bar stool at Michele if he ever gave her shit for dating his sister. Yuri, more than a bit buzzed himself, promised to throw the second stool.

 

She gave him a brief, tender smile before turning towards Otabek. "And you. You act so damn stoic and think you're so mature when you're just as bad as Yuri when it comes to apologizing. Yeah, he gets angry and paranoid, but your boundaries with your exes aren't all that clear most of the time. Yuri's feelings? They're real, not just some excuse for him to start yelling, and it hurts him when you just brush it all aside and treat him like a brat."

 

Yuri stared at the floor, unaware of Otabek's reaction to Mila's words. They'd done nothing to dispel the tension between them, the cold anger and the harsh thoughts. Or that other nagging feeling prickling at the back of his head. It wasn't guilt, but some heavy responsibility, thrown at him and Otabek by some unforseen circumstances.

 

Then Mila added, "No one's asking you to bottle up your feelings, and no one's asking you to break up friendships. Just air it all out. Try to fix this so everything can go back to normal. I feel like my family's on the verge of splitting apart! And those two...are really depending on you both."

 

Right. The lovebirds. They couldn't just stay like that forever. 

 

He looked up to see Mila walking away from them, her back already to them as she said, "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

 

And just like that, he and Otabek were alone.

 

He could have yelled. He could have punched Otabek.

 

He looked up and gazed at Otabek, shame etched on his features as he seemed to avoid Yuri's gaze. Suddenly Yuri felt too exhausted to yell.

 

He sighed and then asked him decisively, "Where's your hotel?"

 

Then Otabek looked at him, looking mildly surprised, and Yuri added, "If we're gonna have this out, let's do it there. It's fucking freezing in here and I don't want Yakov or Lilia eavesdropping at my place."

 

"...Alright," Otabek replied, sounding apprehensive, for once.

 

Good, because Yuri felt pretty fucking nervous. 

 

Before he could forget he took his cellphone out and sent a brief message to Victor and Yuuri:

 

**We're fixing this. Okay?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -keeping in mind that this story is a magical AU of my series of postcanonverse stories, Victor surprising Yuuri by telling him that he'd like Yuuri's name to be Alyosha's patronymic does occur in that ficverse, and he does share his plans with Mila and Yurio
> 
> -same goes for the ring incident 
> 
> -pray that Yuuri and Victor bother to check their phones


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuri is 19 in this.
> 
> Enjoy! We're finally at the end!

Yuuri felt sick. He felt like Victor's legs- _his legs_ -would give any second, sending him crumpling to the ground. But somehow he was still putting one foot in front of the other, oddly detached from everything as his chest and throat burned. Every breath felt like fire but he couldn't stop moving.

 

Not even when he heard Victor calling out to him, in _his_ voice, approaching him rapidly from behind. "Yuuri! Yuuri, please wait!"

 

"Stop yelling!" Yuuri exclaimed, the words nearly choking him as he threw them over his shoulder.

 

Then Victor grasped his shoulder as he caught up to him, forcing Yuuri to a stop and making him turn to face him. But Yuuri  _couldn't_ look at him, not at his own face. He should have been looking at Victor's face, but how when he was the one wearing it? Victor squeezed his arm and, after catching his breath, said, "Yuuri, please don't get upset-"

 

"You  _always_ say that and guess what!  _It doesn't always work!_ _"_ Yuuri shot back as he yanked his arm away and covered his face with his hand. Lowering his voice he asked in a desperate hiss, "How am I supposed to calm down when we're still like this?!"

 

"We can't force them to make up," Victor said simply, not trying to touch him again.

 

Yuuri let out a heavy sigh, glancing around them and spotting only three people sharing the street. Did they see his outburst? Did they think he was losing his mind? He tried to breathe again, his head feeling like it was floating in a very awful way, as though at any moment he'd find himself somewhere else, maybe waking up either in his own body or still trapped in Victor's. "We should've gone home that night," he murmured, his back hitting a solid wall. He leaned against it, trying to ground himself as he kept his hand on a face that wasn't his. "We should've just paid our bill and left that stupid restaurant and not eating another thing. Yuri and Otabek would've made up eventually! What are we going to do? And _don't_ say it'll all work out!"

 

He avoided Victor's gaze, but there was no blocking out his voice as he said in those same steady tones that Yuuri envied, "Okay, I won't say that. I'll just say that we need to give Yura and Beka a fair chance." He paused and Yuuri finally looked up at him, seeing him smiling reassuringly while something else swirled in his eyes. "That was a lot for them to hear, after all. We just told them magic exists, after all."

 

Right. Right, because they _hadn't_ just watched Yuri and Otabek get into another argument before Yuuri had to get out of there and go...somewhere. A hopeful part of him wanted to really believe that they could at least talk to each other and then everything would be back to the way it was. But with every second that passed Yuuri felt that hope begin to dwindle. His throat ached with the urge to scream out in fury and hopelessness, but he wasn't done escaping just yet. That realization was a rather sharp one, and it grounded him momentarily as he swallowed through the agony and murmured into his hand, "God, what am I doing? I'm practically crying in public. I'm such an idiot!"

 

"You are not an idiot," Victor said in a firm tone, pain and sympathy blending in his gaze as he took a step closer to Yuuri, who wanted to believe every reassurance. But he was so exhausted, and he just wanted to cover himself in the comfort of his blankets, keep the room dark and shut his eyes to pretend he was back in his body. Victor's gaze searched his face, and he asked softly, "What do you need?"

 

"I need to go home," Yuuri immediately said, keeping his gaze on the ground and trying not to release the tears he wanted to shed. "People look at us, and they don't see  _us_ , they see...people we're  _not!"_

 

Victor gave him a few nods, and Yuuri watched his hands move slightly the way they always did when he was stopping himself from touching Yuuri when he needed space and time. "Alright. Alright, let's go home," his husband said in soft tones, offering Yuuri his hand.

 

Taking another shaky breath, Yuuri took the offered hand in one rapid movement, well-aware of how clammy his hands were. Victor squeezed his hand and smiled at him. He looked like he was about to say something when their phones began to vibrate. "Now what?!" Yuuri exclaimed, suddenly irritated by the sound and glaring at his phone after digging it out of his pocket.

 

Retrieving his as well, Victor stared at his screen for a moment before giving it a swipe with his thumb. Yuuri did the same, surprised at the sight of Yurio's name heading a short text message:

 

**YURIO:**

**We're fixing this. Okay?**

 

"...What does that mean?" Yuuri asked, anxiously seizing on the very brief flicker of hope he felt at Yurio's words, his chest suddenly feeling looser.

 

Victor's smile was alight with hope, and he gave Yuuri a brilliant smile as he said, "It means we have to trust them to fix things, I suppose."

 

Yuuri tried not to think much after that, to try not to let himself hope for much or lose that hope. He just held on fast to Victor, to his own hand, and tried to keep his head together.

 

* * *

 

It wasn't a fancy room. Clean, at least, but even so Yuri hadn't exactly thought of where Otabek might have spent the night. This was out of Otabek's own pocket, and he'd been on his own. Thinking about that made Yuri's stomach feel all sorts of awful. "You could've just stayed with Victor and the Katsudon," he muttered as he sat down on the edge of the hard mattress, rather than tossing himself on his back spread-eagle and lazy. Clutching the bedsheets with a careful grip, he asked, "Why spend money to hide out here?" 

 

Otabek walked into the room slowly, keeping his eyes on the floor as he approached Yuri, looking like he wanted to sit beside him but was ultimately going to decide against it. "I was too embarrassed to even look them in the eye after..."

 

Yuri looked at his knees at the reminder. Honestly he'd been too pissed off for hours to even sleep afterwards that he put Victor and Yuuri out of his mind. "Oh," he said, feeling his own brief surge of embarrassment. It's not that he wasn't used to getting into it in public sometimes, but this one felt different.

 

Hell, it even got a fucking  _witch_ to butt in and try to make him and Otabek switch bodies. Pretty fucking unnecessary. Either they would've made up soon or never. In all likelihood Otabek would've switched to an earlier flight and just gone back home. Maybe Yuri would have let go of his pride and called him first, and they'd be back to long-distance for a while. 

 

Even that was better than the idea of never making up with Otabek, something that probably would have happened considering how angry Yuri felt over the entire situation.

 

Otabek, staying put with his hands in his jeans pockets, added, "Besides, I thought you'd want to crash with them."

 

"I wasn't exactly in the mood to let them rub their marriage in my face," Yuri replied sourly, remembering how desperate they both looked. He wasn't used to seeing the Katsudon's expressions on fucking  _Victor's_ face, but that look was pretty concrete proof that something was off. Well...if you were willing to believe body switching was an actual thing.

 

Nodding as he bit his lip, Otabek let out a sigh and slowly sat down beside Yuri, keeping his hands in his pockets and keeping some distance between them. "So...that was..."

 

"Fucking mindblowing," Yuri finished for him, his head starting to pound as he went over it all in his head. Fucking witches and fucking bewitched  _syrniki._

 

"Tell me about it," Otabek muttered. "Magic actually exists."

 

"Some weird type of foodie magic."

 

"I guess we won't be eating out again anytime soon," Otabek said with a soft laugh.

 

Yuri couldn't help smiling a bit. That was the first real laugh out of his boyfriend in what felt like years. "Yeah. The next one might turn us into toads or something. Heh. Victor as a toad. I'd pay money to see that."

 

"Then who'd coach you?" Otabek asked with a smirk in his direction, and Yuri warmed under it. His fingers itched to reach over and touch Otabek's, but that felt like jumping the gun and Otabek still had his hands in his pockets. He watched the smirk fade just as Otabek said in a soft voice, "...So we should really talk things over."

 

"Yeah, I guess," Yuri replied, jaw tensing uncomfortably. 

 

For several long, terrible moments, it was just the sound of their breathing. Neither of them moved, and Yuri wondered just what the fuck he could say to even begin to make this all better.

 

* * *

 

The room wasn't dark and he wasn't covered from head to toe in a blanket. Yuuri's eyes were open, and he was looking at Makkachin, lay on his side gazing back at Yuuri.

 

He could see himself, Victor, reflected in the poodle's black eyes. He never liked seeing that look of misery on Victor's face, but Yuuri couldn't help but feel miserable.

 

Well...at least it wasn't turning into something worse. He just felt tired, boneless, completely exhausted by everything. Changing into a tee and sweats felt like a monumental effort, and he still hadn't been able to look Victor in the eye. It was easier to climb into bed and let Makkachin climb in beside him with little whines that sounded like he was trying to console him. 

 

He felt the bed shift before Victor wrapped his arms around Yuuri's waist, burying his face between Yuuri's shoulder blades. Yuuri felt his glasses dig into his back, and couldn't help letting out a little snort. Victor responded with a little whine so like Makkachin's Yuuri had to bury another laugh in the poodle's forehead, feeling like his emotions were leaping all over the place. Victor moved up to settle his chin on Yuuri's shoulder, peering down at Makkachin.

 

"I like to think he can sense who's who," Yuuri said as he placed a hand over Victor's arm on his waist, trying to keep his mind in one place. He didn't want to think about having to take Victor's place as a coach, about Victor skating in his place, or both of them having to back out of skating entirely, abandoning Mila and Yuri.

 

"He probably can," Victor murmured, kissing Yuuri's arm and squeezing him. 

 

Yuuri closed his eyes, picturing that they were both back to normal, that Victor was tall enough to rest his lips on Yuuri's nape. But no, he could feel his own toes touching the backs of Victor's calves. They were what they were, and what they were was very thoroughly switched, and their future problems weren't just going away no matter how hard Yuuri wished. His heart ached when he remembered how happy they were when they started discussing adoption, everything seemed possible and now they even had to say goodbye to that future. "What would we even tell a kid?" Yuuri asked in quiet despondency. "Magic really is real and if you eat someone else's dessert a witch might ruin your life?"

 

"...I wish someone had told  _me_ that," Victor murmured, pouting against Yuuri's arm.

 

Yuuri hid his face again. "Don't make me laugh right now, I'm miserable."

 

"Can I see my miserable face?"

 

It was such a quiet request that could have been taken lightheartedly, but Yuuri knew it was Victor being concerned, Victor wanting to make sure Yuuri was fine. Nuzzling Makkachin's forehead briefly, Yuuri slowly turned around to face Victor.

 

Almost immediately Victor tangled their legs together, and Yuuri made himself meet Victor's gaze. It was odd to see himself looking so calm, but he knew Victor was worried. "So serious," Victor said softly as he linked their hands together.

 

"This is serious," Yuuri replied, keeping his eyes on his own face.

 

"No," the other man said as he poked Yuuri's nose with his finger. "This is cute. You scrunch up your nose a lot, you know?"

 

"Everyone does."

 

"Well, it looks really cute when you do it."

 

Yuuri caught Victor's hand in his again, gazing back at him dryly and saying, "Technically it's  _you_ doing it." He drank in every sign of Victor that he could see in his features, the warmth in the brown of his eyes, and the adoration in that lovely smile that lit up Yuuri's face. "I bet this isn't the comeback you pictured, is it?" Yuuri asked, both resigned and in jest.

 

"I already said I didn't picture  _any_ comeback," Victor said, squeezing his hands. "I don't want to skate in your place. I told you, this means nothing if it's not you on the ice."

 

"So should we start announcing my retirement?"

 

"I didn't say that."

 

"Well, what are you saying?"

 

For the first time Victor sighed in slight exasperation, and he said, "That we should give Yura and Beka a chance for more than an hour." He lifted Yuuri's hands to his face, kissing his knuckles and murmuring against them as he gazed at Yuuri, "I want us to go back to normal. I want to get back to coaching, because the only way I would ever want to come back to skating would be if I was suddenly ten years younger. Maybe you want to ask Nata if she knows a rejuvenation spell?"

 

"We shouldn't play around with that, Victor!" Yuuri chided with a slight frown, staring at their hands and focusing on them. It was such a normal sight, but from a different perspective. Those were still their hands clutched together like they were afraid of getting lost. "For all we know, she might screw that up and age you ten years." 

 

"I'd like to avoid that, thank you," Victor replied flatly before grinning again and pressing another kiss to Yuuri's hands. "So, you just...want to lie here?"

 

"Yeah," Yuuri said, gaze flicking between their hands and his own face. It was still Victor there, and it was still him in this body. "...I still think it's some kind of karmic retribution. I spent so long wanting to  _be_ you, and now this happens, and I am...really not prepared to be you," he admitted with a shaky sigh, his throat starting to burn again. "I want to skate, I want to have our kid, and I want to be me. And I never actually thought I'd say that out loud," he admitted with an astonished laugh at himself.

 

Victor leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead, tucking back as much of his hair as he could behind his ear. "Do you think we'll ever tell our kid about this?" he asked lightly.

 

" _No,"_ Yuuri replied, shuddering at the idea.

 

"It might be funny in hindsight!"

 

"Not if they talk about it in front of other people and suddenly we look like unfit parents." Maybe he shouldn't bring his own hopes up, but he couldn't let it go. Not even if they'd just gotten started. "We should just tell them to never eat other people's dessert."  _And to stay away from restaurants with blue-haired waitresses named Nata._

 

"It's a deal," Victor said with a decisive nod, smiling at Yuuri with all the reassurance he could muster.

 

Yuuri just kept drinking it in, remembering Yurio's message. It was such a short message, but it was offering so much hope and Yuuri wanted to hold on to it. Maybe they were already working things out and it was just a matter of time...Yuuri steered himself away from that train of thought. He couldn't become even more impatient when he was already feeling so much. He didn't want to push Victor away, not after seeing how much of a brave front he'd been putting on. Finally leaning in to kiss Victor on the forehead, Yuuri softly began to say, "I'm sorry for-"

 

"No," Victor said, silencing him with a fingertip against his lips. "You don't have to apologize for anything. You're scared, we both are."

 

Yuuri gazed back at him and smiled after a moment. "...I was going to apologize for the headache you're going to have after we switch back after all the crying I've been doing." Well, not precisely for that, but that did warrant an apology. Victor hated getting headaches.

 

Appearing to accept that explanation, Victor coaxed Yuuri into his arms. Yuuri went easily, burying his face in his own chest as Victor dragged his fingers through his hair.

 

Closing his eyes, Yuuri realized that this felt just as warm and right as any other embrace.

 

* * *

 

"It's not that I want you to change," Otabek said, shoulders sagging as he gazed at Yuri with such a forlorn look.

 

Yuri just stared at him, shocked by the words. He was still so tongue-tied he felt pathetic. It wasn't in him to stay quiet when there was something that so obviously needed saying.

 

But Otabek changed everything, fuck, he had been ever since he rode his way into Yuri's life four years ago. 

 

Then Otabek added as he finally reached for Yuri's hand and clutched it fast with his own, "I don't want you to change. Not ever. You're loud, opinionated, and you don't take shit from anybody. I knew that ever since I saw you at that camp the first time. It's what I love about you."

 

Yuri felt like a toppling house of cards with Otabek's hand around his, his breaths shaking as he thought about how little they'd touched. Yuri hadn't wanted to touch him, not while he was picturing all those other people, even  _Mila,_ touching his boyfriend. 

 

It was easier to get mad than feel insecure. He figured he was too good for that, but at the same time it was just another constant in his mind. Last night's display didn't exactly help matters either, and neither did the venom they'd spat at each other when Yuuri and Victor were asking for their help. 

 

"I don't like being mad at you," he managed to say through his teeth, tension coiling his body tight. He'd long ago kicked off his sneakers, raising his knees to rest his chin on them, almost curling into himself even as he held on tight to Otabek's hand like he was a four-year-old clutching a balloon. Those few words felt like Victor putting him through grueling exercises, and he took another breath before rolling his shoulders and finally admitting, "I just hate thinking that any second now you're gonna realize that maybe you're better off with someone else. Like one of your exes."

 

Otabek didn't respond and Yuri didn't look at them. They just squeezed each other's hands as they hung on, and Yuri could feel that old, hated fear seizing his muscles, stopping him from exposing himself further. Then Otabek said in soft tones, "They became my  _exes_ for a reason."

 

"Doesn't look that way when you're chummy as shit with them," Yuri couldn't help blurting out, then cursed himself for lashing out again. 

 

Then Otabek turned to face him, and placed a hand to Yuri's face to turn it towards his. Yuri avoided his gaze but Otabek said, "Yuri, I don't tell them I love them. I don't hold them or kiss them or miss them when we're in different countries. As soon as I leave I know I'm going to wish I could just get off the plane and run back to you like they do in the movies."

 

Yuri snorted softly, trying not to let his eyes flutter closed at the sensation of Otabek's thumb stroking his cheek. "You'd get tackled by security in five seconds," he muttered.

 

"You don't think I'd fight my way through them to get to you?"

 

He almost wanted to kick him for that line, or maybe kiss him. But then Yuri raised his gaze and Otabek looked so serious that it was pretty obvious he meant it. Fuck, Yuri almost couldn't look at him. Why him? Why  _for_ him? After all the shit he gave Otabek for a few texts...texts that made Yuri go green with envy at the thought of anyone else making Otabek smirk.

 

But he couldn't just tell Otabek he wasn't allowed to talk to anyone. He couldn't lock him away for fear that he'd find Mila in his arms, even when he knew how crazy she and Sara were for each other. Hell, Otabek hadn't even been with anyone else since they met up again in Barcelona. Uncoiling himself and turning to face Otabek, Yuri said, "...I don't want to be that guy keeping you from seeing anyone. It's just...they make me...uncomfortable. I don't like to think about you with anyone else. Hell, I don't even know what I would've done if Mila actually admitted she had that crush on you."

 

Otabek nodded at him steadily, appearing to take in his words for a moment before saying, "Okay. Okay, that's fair." 

 

Hearing that made Yuri feel like a knot had come loose inside of him, and he breathed out a shaky sigh before adding, "Sometimes I think about how...whatever-her-name-is probably made you laugh more than I do. She didn't fight you in public."

 

"She did." 

 

Yuri looked up in surprise. "What?"

 

Otabek smiled almost ruefully, gazing off into what were probably some unpleasant memories. "Being long-distance wasn't easy for either of us, and before we knew it we were growing apart. We picked a bad time to talk about it and next thing I know we're trying to shout each other down in a crowded street. We lasted another month before calling it quits."

 

"Holy shit," Yuri said, not knowing if he should feel bad about picturing it.

 

And then Otabek said, "Maybe we do need a change."

 

Yuri stopped breathing, swearing his heart stopped, and then Otabek quickly added, "Not a break-up, Yura. I mean..." He sighed and squeezed Yuri's hand again, and Yuri wondered if he could feel his racing pulse. "Well, I won't ask you to uproot your life here and change coaches again. It's easier for me to-"

 

"Wait, why is it okay for you to uproot  _your_ life?" Yuri interrupted, staring at Otabek incredulously as his heart galloped wildly as he took in what Otabek had just said to him and tried to ignore that selfish part of him that wanted to scream "yes" right away and head to Almaty to pack Otabek's stuff himself. "What about your parents? Your sister? Look...you don't have to change anything for me," he said weakly, knowing he didn't sound close to genuine.

 

"Maybe it's for me," Otabek said, looking right at Yuri with those deep brown eyes, full of unbound devotion that made Yuri's body heat up. "Maybe I want us to be together for more than a few weeks. Maybe I want us to be closer." 

 

Yuri couldn't get his heart to slow down, and he was holding on to Otabek's hand so tightly he was suddenly afraid of crushing it. His throat was tight with dreaded tears, and he fought hard to keep them in, sighing and shaking his head with a smile. "Fuck, you're starting to sound like Victor."

 

And Otabek, the jerk, only smiled back and replied with, "Thanks."

 

* * *

 

After helping Makkachin off of the bed and watching him leave the room in silence, Yuuri went back to settling against Victor as he held him, trying to remain in that calm state while he accepted and dreaded the simple fact that nothing had changed.

 

Then again it wasn't as if a lot of time had passed, and hopefully any conversation between Yuri and Otabek hadn't devolved into another shouting match in whatever spot they were in.

 

Victor was still stroking tiny circles on his nape, saying nothing and letting Yuuri lie draped on top of him with his ear against his chest, straining to listen to his heartbeat and keep himself grounded as he kept telling himself to be patient. All he had to do was listen to each beat and just let the time pass.

 

Easier said than done, really, but it was getting done.

 

"How are you feeling?" he heard Victor ask, feeling a few soft taps against the back of his ear.

 

He thought about it for a few moments, and then Yuuri told him in soft tones, "Calm. Not...better, exactly. It's like time stopped." 

 

He heard a thoughtful hum from Victor, but still he felt a touch of embarrassment at his ridiculous-sounding answer. Then Victor started to sit up, and Yuuri quickly moved off of him just before Victor reached down to take his hand again. "Come here," he beckoned, Yuuri staring up at the tenderness of his face before letting him lead him off the bed.

 

Curious, Yuuri got up and followed him, raising an eyebrow at him when he led him towards the vanity mirror.

 

Still beaming at him, Victor coaxed him closer, and Yuuri looked at him in bewilderment as he placed himself behind Yuuri and wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his cheek on Yuuri's shoulder and glancing at him playfully before flicking his head towards the mirror in front of them. Yuuri frowned slightly before following Victor's gaze, and his eyes fell on their reflection.

 

It was the both of them,  _Yuuri's_ arms wrapped around  _Victor's_ waist. Yuuri just stared, taking in every detail, focusing on their expressions in the silence and forgetting about whose perspective he was looking through.

 

"That's us," Yuuri said without prompting, watching Victor's lips move in the mirror. It broke the illusion a bit, but...the reflection appeared like a normal situation. And like those situations, Yuuri's eyes naturally fell on Victor's reflection, his own expressions translating into that soft vulnerability on Victor's face that only he could see. 

 

"Yeah," Victor whispered, kissing Yuuri's shoulder. Yuuri glanced at the reflection of his own face, seeing Victor just gazing at  _Yuuri's_ face with such adoration that Yuuri felt his heart race again, spreading warmth throughout his body. Then Victor added, "Just us. You can't tell who's in what body."

 

"Until we start talking," Yuuri said with a laugh, giving his own arm a squeeze as he watched Victor grin sheepishly.

 

"Should we be quiet for a bit, then?" Victor asked cheekily before holding Yuuri's gaze in the mirror. "Let me say this first," he said in a soft voice. "I believe...that we're going to be fine. I'll get to coach again, you'll keep skating...and one day soon we're going to have our child and teach them all the important things. And you can fill them in on everything I'll probably forget to mention."

 

Yuuri couldn't resist laughing again, knowing full well that would likely be how it went. He kept his eyes on Victor's face in the mirror, watching the laugh on his perfect face. "You're going to be a great dad," he said quietly, daring to hope and think about the future he yearned for.

 

Victor's smile widened and he kissed Yuuri on the cheek before replying, "So will you."

 

Squeezing Victor's arm again, Yuuri tore his eyes away from their reflection and turned to look at Victor, gazing down at his own eyes and seeing Victor's faith in him. He saw Victor's gaze flick down to his lips before he gave Yuuri a questioning gaze. Sensing his question, Yuuri gave him a nod, and Victor leaned in to press a gentle kiss against his mouth.

 

Yuuri pressed back into the kiss, letting his eyes close as he felt how closely Victor was wrapped around him, despite his shortened height. It was so different and so familiar, his experience hampered by the reminder that he was kissing his own lips and those were his hands slowly wandering over his front. 

 

The latter didn't feel so strange. Yuuri had spent many an hour running his hands over his own body, trying to imagine what Victor Nikiforov's hands would feel like as he stared at the lovely face on a poster or a photo in a magazine.

 

Victor drew away slightly, close enough that their lips still brushed across each other as he asked in a whisper, "Is that still okay?"

 

"I think," Yuuri answered, kissing him again very briefly before pulling back. "I mean...I know it's you, but...I never thought I'd be kissing myself. Weirdly enough, it's...not bad." He turned to look into the mirror again, watching a blush spread across Victor's face as he reached down to touch the back of his own wandering hand. "...And this might sound even weirder, but..."

 

He fell silent, and Victor looked at him steadily before prompting, "Talk to me."

 

Yuuri kept his hand where it was, breathing deeply and gazing at the flush he loved to see on Victor's face. He swallowed and admitted quietly, "I'm...I'm used to my own hands. You know?"

 

"I do," Victor replied, pressing down gently on Yuuri's middle and slowly dragging his hand down.

 

Sighing shakily, Yuuri leaned back into Victor, watching need bloom on Victor's face before looking at the adoration on his own. He was no stranger to sex in front of a mirror with Victor or watching a recording of their love-making on Victor's phone, his husband coaxing him into watching himself fall apart as Victor moved inside him. He would watch the desperation building in his own face until everything unraveled when he finally came and he kept his eyes open through it, seeing what it was Victor loved about his face when he was caught up in pleasure.

 

Of course he loved to look at Victor too, to see proof that  _he_ was the one bringing such pleasure to that beautiful face with even the most feather-light touch. The Victor in the reflection was blushing and breathing harder, a sight Yuuri relished, his cock beginning to stir. Swallowing again he asked as Victor moved his hand lower still, "Doesn't it make you uncomfortable?"

 

Victor smirked at him, every bit the vision of _Eros_ Yuuri had captured on the ice. "You know I'm no stranger to touching myself either," he said softly, the low tones of his voice hypnotizing Yuuri. It wasn't the first time Yuuri heard that tone in his voice, having used it more and more as he grew more confident in bed. Playful and daring. Something that had Victor loose and submissive in Yuuri's arms in seconds.

 

Catching each other's gaze again as Victor's hand reached the waist of the sweatpants Yuuri wore, Yuuri stared at him for a moment before his blush intensified and he gave another encouraging nod, his breaths coming harder and harder as Victor finally sank his hand beneath the band and his underwear.

 

Yuuri hissed sharply as Victor's wrapped his hand around him, eyes instinctively falling shut as heat and friction engulfed his cock. He bent forward, elbows settling on the top of the vanity, and he could feel Victor bending over him, crotch pressed against Yuuri's ass and letting him feel how hard he was. Still shaking, Yuuri couldn't think of any way to describe this. It just felt so  _right_ , and like Yuuri was yet again fortunate enough to experience something no one else ever had. 

 

"Look at me," Victor murmured against his ear, warm breath washing over it. "Right at _me_. Remember, it's like nothing's changed."

 

Hands curling into fists, Yuuri opened his eyes, blinking several times before fixing his stare on their reflection. He saw himself bent over Victor, whose mouth was open as he panted and moaned softly with every pump of Yuuri's hand. He let out a sound so delicious his bones _melted_ with it, his cock giving a throb at the sound of such pleasure in Victor's voice. "I love looking at you," he moaned, chest seizing as he kept  _listening_ to Victor's voice and deciding that, even after all their years together, he would do everything he could to keep summoning all those lovely noises from Victor's mouth. "Don't stop," he begged, staring right at Victor's needy eyes in the mirror and bringing a hand up to lay flat against the surface, like he wanted to reach in and touch Victor's face the way he always did. " _Please_ don't stop, I want to watch you..."

 

And he wanted to hear Victor  _beg_ in that voice he loved.

 

He heard Victor shudder before his hand started pumping faster, and Yuuri struggled to keep his eyes on Victor's face, fighting the urge, as always, to just close his eyes and  _take_ everything Victor gave him, trusting and completely safe. But he kept his head up and his eyes open, fingers twitching restlessly on the surface of the mirror as he drank in the beautiful agony and bliss on Victor's face. 

 

He should have recognized that look and what it always led to. His climax caught him like a punch to the gut, making him shout in shock and ecstasy as his hips jerked into his own fist, pressure still moving up and down as Victor stroked him through it and let him watch the way pleasure flooded Victor's face in the mirror.

 

His hand fell limply to the top of the vanity as he let out a long exhale, reluctant to take his eyes away from the mirror, ears ringing with the force of his orgasm and the sight in front of him. 

 

Victor too was panting hard against Yuuri's shoulder as he finally took his hand away from his softening dick, and Yuuri finally sagged in relief, letting his head hang down as he tried to keep standing on unsteady legs. 

 

"So fast?" he heard Victor ask, making Yuuri's voice sound breathless.

 

Yuuri huffed out a laugh. "Can't help it," he murmured, his head spinning as he lifted it up again to smile lazily at Victor in the mirror. "You look so good when you come. And...well...did you?"

 

"Of course," Victor replied, still gazing at his reflection with an intoxicated look. "That look on your face is enough to set me off. How do you feel?"

 

"Like time's still stopped," Yuuri replied after a moment, thinking that it didn't sound so ridiculous that time.

 

* * *

 

"This is crazy," Yuri breathed, giving voice to the thought that kept racing through his head as he stared at Otabek in wonder and exasperation.

 

"What's so crazy about it?" Otabek asked, reaching down to take both of Yuri's hands in his. "I want to be with you, Yuri. We don't have to move in together right away, if that's what's bothering-"

 

"That's not it!" Yuri exclaimed, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth before giving up and just letting the rest of his thoughts race out of his head. "Fuck, moving in together...That sounds fucking fantastic! But I just feel like I'm gonna be waiting for you to break up with me next time we have a fight. Or I might snap and break up with you, I don't know." Maybe he wasn't making any sense, but all of it suddenly needed to break out of his heart, and it just kept emerging as Yuri said tiredly, "I'm a fucking pill, I don't know why you deal with me and my shit."

 

"Because I love you."

 

He admitted it with such gravity it felt like Yuri would have been knocked to the ground if he'd been standing. He looked up at Otabek, seeing that same gravity in his eyes, warring with self-consciousness. That wasn't a look Yuri was used to seeing from the other man, filled with such yearning that it kept pulling _everything_ out of Yuri. "I love you too," he replied quietly, even though there was a roaring in his ears that had him briefly wondering if he'd actually  _said_ it, if he'd even spoken at all. But there was no denying the look of astonishment on Otabek's face or the way it made Yuri's chest fill with...something. "My chest feels like it's gonna explode," he added lamely.

 

He blushed when Otabek chuckled softly through a vivid blush. "What a way to follow an 'I love you,' Yura."

 

"Shut up," Yuri said, covering Otabek's amused face with his hand.

 

Otabek wrapped a hand around his wrist, squeezing it gently as he looked at him tenderly. "Look...I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I don't want to hurt you or make you feel jealous or like you have to compete with my exes." Shame filled his features and Yuri almost wanted to look away, like it was something too personal. "And...I don't mean to sound condescending either. I don't want you to feel like you're immature for having a reaction. I'm sorry for that." 

 

There's no feeling of victory in Yuri's heart at the words. No sense of vindication. It's only the realization that everything he'd poured out had been acknowledged and thought about. It was a quiet sort of happiness he was familiar with from his days with his Grandpa, Victor and Yuuri, and now with Otabek. It was almost frightening but only because it was so unfamiliar, much like the words he rolled around in his mouth before he breathed deeply and said, "...I'm sorry for yelling all the time. I'm sorry for getting so jealous when...you've never given me any reason to be. Fuck, I even dragged Mila into it." That finally did shame him, despite his little rivalry with her. He knew he needed to apologize to her too. "I'm just a..."

 

"Just a guy in love?" Otabek finished for him tenderly.

 

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess," Yuri replied, blushing hotly. "I'm still not used to...to just  _saying_ that. I like it, though," he said with a little smile.

 

"I like seeing you smile," his boyfriend said, reaching up to trace the bow of his top lip with his thumb. Yuri closed his eyes to just feel it, listening to Otabek say, "I'll listen to you from now on. I'm not going to brush you off or act like I know everything. I really don't, honestly."

 

"And...from now on I'll try to talk instead of yell," Yuri said, his smile turning rueful.

 

"Well, I kind of like it when you get loud," Otabek, the dick, said with a smirk that made Yuri smack his arm away. The silence that followed was so much easier, a stark contrast to the earlier ones, and then Otabek cleared his throat before slowly saying, "So...about me moving to be closer..."

 

"Beka..."

 

"If you really don't want me to-"

 

Yuri gave up with a low snarl and exclaimed, "I  _do._  I do, okay? I want to see you and touch you every single fucking day!" He squeezed Otabek's hands as he pressed his forehead against his shoulder, inhaling his smell and trying to keep his heart under control long enough to clarify, "But I want you to think about it. I mean  _really_ think about it." The selfish part of him didn't  _want_ that, but he had to kick it quiet.

 

Otabek didn't say anything for a long moment, but then Yuri felt him nod and rest his cheek against Yuri's head. "Okay. Okay, I can do that." 

 

Relief flooded Yuri's chest even though his heart broke a little bit at the thought of Otabek leaving again when he could have just said yes and moved him in right away, somehow. "And you should talk about it with your coach and your parents...and your sister. She might kill me for taking her brother away."

 

Then Otabek wrapped him up in a tight embrace, and Yuri buried his face in the other man's neck, heart soaring with joy at the reunion of their bodies. "I'll talk to them all, I promise," he heard Otabek say against his ear before kissing the shell.

 

Lifting his head, Yuri caught Otabek's lips in a kiss, humming lowly into it as he held on to the back of Otabek's neck before releasing him, satisfied by the dazed look in those brown eyes. "...I missed this," he said quietly, admitting it freely.

 

"I did too," Otabek breathed, holding him tightly. "I'm so scared of losing you."

 

Yuri could feel that fear in his bones, but more so the joy of knowing he was so _needed_. Otabek had opened up so much, Yuri felt like he'd struck gold. "Fuck pride," he growled, lightly running his nails down the side of Otabek's neck.

 

"Fuck pride," Otabek agreed, eyes going darker with something familiar that made Yuri's insides curl up. "Fuck pride and fuck me instead."

 

Otabek might as well have gotten his hand into Yuri's pants with that statement, because Yuri was biting back an embarrassing, needy noise as his cock gave a twitch and his pants started becoming tighter. "Fucking pervert," he gritted out, tugging Otabek back down into a deeper kiss, fire racing through his blood in joy and need as he tasted the other man for the first time in  _ages_. "Don't tell me you're carrying lube around," he murmured over Otabek's lips.

 

"Unfortunately not," Otabek admitted, brow furrowing at the setback.

 

Well, it was a minor setback, but Yuri really did like teasing him. He smirked as he shoved the broader man onto his back, straddling his wide hips and settling his hands on his chest. "Too bad. I would've kept you on your back until the sun came up," he said just before grinding down onto the developing hardness he found.

 

Otabek choked out a moan, hands seizing Yuri by the hips and trying to control his movements. "I think you still could," he said in strained tones.

 

"You sure you want your neighbors hearing us?"

 

"Like that's ever stopped you." 

  

"Yeah, well, fuck pride," Yuri growled with a wide grin as he slowly crawled his way back down the edge of the bed, hands trailing down Otabek's front as he lowered his head to trail his lips over the hard outline of the other man's jeans.

 

He felt him give a tiny jerk before he got himself back under control, and then Yuri felt Otabek's fingers comb through his hair, twitching like he wanted to grip it tight. "Yura..."

 

Yuri smirked and undid the button of Otabek's jeans, flashing a playful smile at him before taking the zipper between his teeth and pulling it down, making sure those dark eyes watched him the entire time. 

 

He didn't hesitate at all, making sure those eyes  _stayed_ on him as he pulled Otabek's jeans and underwear off. He held Otabek's gaze as he reached down to undo his own zipper and lower his pants down enough to take his own length in hand before wrapping his lips around Otabek's cock.

 

His blood was all fire the entire time, burning hotter at the sound of Otabek's low moans, at the sensation of careful tugs on his scalp, and at the feeling of his own hand on his length, staving his orgasm off just enough to keep him from coming before Otabek did. 

 

He finally did, moans shaky and helpless-sounding, and Yuri toppled after him seconds after, fucking into his hand and moaning around the softening length in his mouth. He swallowed the bitter cum in his mouth and wiped off what was on his chin just before Otabek reached down with a trembling arm to haul him back onto the bed to kiss him, hard, tongue sweeping into his mouth.

 

Yuri melted into it, closing his eyes and thinking that he would never want or let anyone else touch him like this.

 

Minutes later they lay in a calm Yuri wasn't used to always having. Usually his mind was so restless, but now it felt like his mind had stopped along with time. Or slowed down at least. He was dozing off, cheek resting on Otabek's shoulder while the older man ran his fingers up and down his arm. Then he asked softly, "I wonder how Yuuri and Victor are doing."

 

Yuri tensed. Right. "They haven't answered my text," he mumbled, carefully nipping at Otabek's skin. He hoped all of this had worked. Those two idiots had _plans_ , and Yuri wasn't about to lose another coach. "Can you imagine if it'd actually been us?" he asked, feeling a little grateful that it hadn't turned out that way.

 

His boyfriend laughed lowly and gave him a quick squeeze. "Me dealing with all that hair you've got? I would've gotten on my knees and apologized sooner."

 

"Come on, it's not even that hard to take care of, you big baby," he said, lightly slapping Otabek's chest.

 

"I see how many rubber bands you go through. The last one that snapped nearly caught me in the eye."

 

"Don't be so overdramatic!"

 

"I'm not. I'm being completely serious. My life flashed before my eyes."

 

Yuri laughed into Otabek's flushed skin, though he sobered quickly as he thought about his phone lying silent this whole time. 

 

They needed to go back to normal. Yuri needed to know that he'd fixed  _them_ too.

 

* * *

 

They'd fallen asleep a little while after cleaning up and changing into new clothes, wrapped around each other.

 

It was almost so surprising, but Yuuri had felt such exhaustion it felt so easy to let everything go, for once. 

 

Maybe it was resignation, or, wonder of wonders, patience.

 

He didn't think about it long, falling asleep as soon as Victor had him in his arms.

 

When he woke up, he was still holding Victor, feeling his face pressed against his chest. Yuuri's fingers were buried in his hair stroking through it. 

 

It was a feeling so familiar nothing felt out of place for a moment.

 

Or back  _in_ place.

 

Yuuri opened his eyes slowly, finding himself met with blurriness. He tried to blink it away, rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his hand but finding that it was still there.

 

Then his heart stopped.

 

The blurriness wasn't going away.

 

He stared at his hand hovering in front of him.

 

Yuuri's hand.  _His_ hand, in perfect clarity as he brought it close to his face.

 

Then he looked down.

 

That was Victor's silver head buried in his naked chest.

 

Yuuri exhaled a shaking laugh, his heart galloping with such excitement and relief that he wanted to jump up and dance or shout, or some other thing he couldn't think of. 

 

They were back to normal.

 

Trying to find his voice, Yuuri shook Victor by the shoulder. "Hey! Victor! Victor, wake up!" he said, his vocal chords vibrating with the familiar sound of  _his_ voice, trembling with joy as he stared at Victor in his arms.

 

His husband woke up with a soft groan, arms tightening around Yuuri for a moment before he looked up at him sleepily and mumbled, "...What? Yuuri, what is-" Then those beautiful blue eyes widened and Victor rapidly sat up, staring down at Yuuri and breathing hard as he took in the sight of him with such happiness and adoration, exclaiming, "It's you!"

 

"It's you!" Yuuri cried, sitting up to take Victor's face in his hands and take in the sight of it, right in front of him. "I've got my crappy eyesight back!" he laughed, feeling so giddy with relief he was speaking out every single thought in his head.

 

Victor laughed with him before kissing every inch of Yuuri's face, beaming against his cheek and saying, "I love you so much."

 

Yuuri pressed his own kiss against Victor's cheek, breathing against it, "I love you too. But let's not go through that again, okay?" That was no joke. It was...an experience, but there was so much at risk that it absolutely  _couldn't_ happen again.

 

Maybe they would avoid that particular restaurant.

 

"Whatever you say," Victor replied, hugging Yuuri tightly and burying his face in his hair. "It feels so good to hold you again."

 

Yuuri was so reluctant to extricate himself from Victor's embrace, but had to do so in order to reach for his phone. "We need to let Yuri and Otabek know," he said, reaching for his glasses and sliding them on in a familiar motion that his muscles seemed to miss.

 

But Victor just kept reaching for him, trying to tug him back into his arms. "Mmm, come back here, we need to celebrate," he mumbled as he kissed Yuuri's shoulder, hands caressing his front.

 

"Just a quick text," Yuuri said with a laugh, allowing Victor to kiss his neck as he sent the message out. It was only a few moments before Yuri replied with a series of overjoyed expletives that made Yuuri's smile widen. "They actually made up," he remarked, feeling such relief for the other couple that his body nearly went lax with it.

 

"I'm proud of them. Now come and kiss me," Victor insisted, pulling Yuuri back down onto the bed with him.

 

Yuuri fell back onto him with a huff, shivering at the little nip beneath his ear and the fingers at his nipples. "You need to stop being so greedy," he breathed out without conviction, arching up towards the touches.

 

"I'll stop when you do," Victor answered in low tones that had Yuuri shaking.

 

In that case neither of them would ever stop being greedy.

 

So Yuuri just lay back and let Victor touch the entirety of his body, the body that was _his_ again, hungry for Victor's touch.

 

* * *

 

"So, did you guys ever go back to  _that_ restaurant and fight that witch?"

 

Yuri watched the Katsudon give Mila a mildly incredulous look. "Why would we want to pick a fight with someone with actual magic powers?" he asked her, glancing around them as if to make sure no one was looking in their direction in case they heard Mila's casual mention of witches. "I actually enjoy  _not_ being under a spell."

 

"Teach you to eat my dessert," Yuri muttered lightly. He was making an effort not to display his moodiness, a leftover of Otabek's departure two days before. 

 

They'd talked more, and kept it all to themselves. Apologies and promises, and Yuri telling Otabek over and over to really think about what he wanted to do in the future. Then Otabek had to go home and Yuri felt like his heart had gone with him. 

 

It would get better, just like it always had. But he missed him so much.

 

He wasn't alone at least. He looked at the three other faces sitting in this lame family restaurant with him, and smiled to himself as he reached over for a couple of fries.

 

" _Leave_ my fries alone!" Mila suddenly exclaimed, glaring at him. "Vitya, he's eating my fries!"

 

"Oh my god, are you  _seven years old?"_ Yuri growled back, defiantly eating the fries.

 

"No,  _you_ are!"

 

"Now, now, I thought we were all getting along again!" Victor chided with a stupid smile.

 

Well, they were. Yuri had swallowed his pride again and apologized to Mila, though that still felt like pulling teeth, especially after she gave him a hug and fucking _lifted_ him a few inches off the floor. At least he was heavy enough that she couldn't lift him over her fucking head anymore, but he really didn't want to test that. 

 

The Katsudon got up, peering at his hands with a doubtful look. "I've got to wash my hands. I swear I touched some gum under this table," he muttered.

 

Of course, Victor _had_ to follow him, saying with a sigh, "Well now I have to wash  _my_ hands."

 

"Don't make out in a public bathroom!" Yuri called after them, still so relieved to see them acting like themselves again.

 

"Wasn't planning on it! You don't want to wash your hands, Yura? Milochka?"

 

Yuri waved him away, watching them disappear through the doors.

 

Then he heard Mila ask with blatant curiosity, "So, how are you and Beka doing?"

 

"Pretty damn good," he said. Feeling that the moment merited a bit of smugness, he grinned and added, "He's gonna think about moving here."

 

Mila jumped in her seat and made him turn towards her, exclaiming with astonishment, "What, really?!" 

 

Yuri kept smirking at her as he nodded. "We haven't made any big decisions yet, but it's definitely a thing. I haven't mentioned it to those two because Victor will either act like I'm a defenseless eight-year-old or start cooing at me. Still don't know which one I'd rather avoid."

 

"That's so cute," Mila sighed with a little swoon. "If I ever suggested that Sara and I live together, I'm pretty sure her brother would kill me."

 

"Hey, he gives you shit, we can get the Katsudon to kick his ass. If he can lift Victor I'm pretty sure he can throw Mickey like a frisbee."

 

"I want to scare the guy, not kill him!"

 

While they laughed at the mental image of Yuuri planting the fear of God into Mickey, a waitress approached them, smiling at them graciously and asking, "How are we doing so far?"

 

Mila immediately answered, "Good, thanks! I  _love_ your hair!"

 

The waitress brightened at the comment, but Yuri didn't take his eyes off of her hair for a long moment. It was blue.

 

Why was that so familiar?

 

" _You!"_

 

The waitress froze at the gasp, and Yuri looked over his shoulder to find Yuuri and Victor standing behind him, equal looks of horror and fury on their faces as they stared at the waitress. Yuri blinked at them before turning around again to look at the waitress, who had suddenly gone pale and was slowly walking away, saying in a defensive tone, "I didn't do anything, I swear! You ate a perfectly normal meal..." She suddenly bolted away, drawing  _several_ curious gazes.

 

That was when it hit Yuri, and Mila seemed to get the same idea as she turned to look at him with absolute shock.

 

They'd just met the witch again.

 

Victor was paralyzed for a moment before he swallowed visibly and quickly reached for his coat, blurting out, "I'll get the bill."

  

Yuuri nodded several times, getting his own coat and tugging it on, face growing paler by the second as he stared at their plates. "Is nowhere safe?!" he asked himself in hushed tones.

 

Mila looked ready to go after the witch, but Yuri was already tugging her by the arm, sweating bullets as he went after Victor and muttered in complete disbelief and grumpiness, "I'm never gonna be hungry again..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it! (un)fortunately Mila and Yuri don't get to swap bodies. and Nata learned her lesson. maybe.
> 
> I like to think Yura and Beka had this convo in my canonverse fics, save for the whole body swapping element. xD
> 
> This was a treat to write and I want to thank you all for your encouraging comments. I love reading them!


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